1- Introduction
When we look at the historical process, the tasks expected from universities changed according to the development of societies. The first universities have focused on education and have the task of disseminating and transmitting more knowledge.
The best example of the history of these institutions, also called first-generation universities, is the University of Bologna, considered the beginning of the universities in the western world.
After this period, especially in Europe, the dominance of the clergy was decreased in the 1800s, the university began to change shells. Universities are not only responsible for disseminating knowledge, but also for research-development (R&D) activities.
This resulted in the emergence of secondary generation universities. The best example of second generation is the Humbolt University which is acting with the principle that science is for science.
The development of societies has led to the rapid consumption of knowledge and in this case, the knowledge-based economy has revealed. The vital rule of knowledge-based economies is to ensure the sustainability of knowledge and to present the original information to the society continuously.
The only way to do this is to bring together qualified parties. However, second generation universities should have an authoritarian approach in terms of their structures, they cannot cooperating with society and other institutions have forced universities to change once again. In this case, third-generation universities gave birth.
Especially with the discovery and more widespread use of the Internet, the circulation of information and the speed of obsolescence increased. After the Second World War, the liberal economy as well as the knowledge- based economy began to dominate the societies.
The knowledge is aging at an unprecedented pace. The old knowledge decrease decision quality. Thus, the third generation of universities is based on the understanding that knowledge should be made public, that is, for the society.
The third generation of universities, rather than the boundaries of the information between the walls, the knowledge is turned over the economy as social and economic contribution to society. The best examples of today’s third generation universities are the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Stanford and Harvard.
University-Industry relations are seen as a key activity today when the third generation of universities shaped societies. While the universities were the main producers of scientific progress, the industry formed the dynamics of new technologies and economic growth.
However, in this relationship, as in every relationship may have problems. While universities are the primary actors of scientific developments, the expectation of the industry is that universities play this role.
However, scientific studies in universities are not directly used by industry in terms of the form or time. The parties cannot come together correctly, or their expectations are different are the main problems in university- industry cooperation, also.
In spite of all these problems, development is continuous, and it will not be possible to maintain the existence of institutions, organizations or other components, if they are kept up with this development. Therefore, university-industry cooperation activities are very important for all industrial organizations.
2- Funding Mechanisms in University-Industry Collaborations
Funding mechanisms in University-Industry cooperation activities are generally analyzed in three parts, namely, state funds (TUBITAK, KOSGEB), European funds (COSME, NIRVANA) and contracted R&D projects to be covered by the firm.
Industrial prefer to state funds in their R&D projects. In particular, wide range of different and specific needs for specific industry support programs are prepared by TUBITAK’s Technology and Innovation Support Programs Presidency (TEYDEP). Besides, there are many R&D supports specific to the companies by KOSGEB.
In addition, the Ministry of Science, Industry and Technology also provides various incentives for R&D centers to be established by the firms.
The purpose of the statefunds is to promote university-industry cooperation activities and to encourage the companies to carry out quality R&D activities. But R&D is a very long and risky process (Figure 1).
The state shares the risks with the supports it provides. Technology transfer offices have been established for industrialists to facilitate access to these funds and to use this process more effectively.
Figure 1. Three basic stages of R&D
Many universities in our country carry out basic research activities with state funds without the support of any industrial corporation. However, the application of basic research activities to the industry is a challenging process. Commercialized study is very low among these.
When the basic research activity is completed and the studies that have reached the technology development activities are developed together with an industrial point of view, it decreases the risks in this sense. R&D activities of firms should be determined not by fashion but by the firm’s needs.
In particular, especially when university-industry cooperations are made with the assistant of technology transfer offices (TTO), companies are provided to realize projects faster, with the right people and the funds.
3- University-Industry Collaborations in Chemical Industry
In terms of the structure and the sectoral sub-branch of the chemical industry should be done intensively university-industry cooperation activities. Number of firms R&D center in Turkey is around 60 throughout the chemical industry. However, the number of qualified projects is quite low compared to the world.
The countries in which the chemical sector has the highest number of patent applications in the country, due to the concentration in the pharmaceutical sector, as listed; Switzerland (19.2%), Holland (15.8%), England (14.7%) and France (14%).
As for the commercialization of R&D studies in our country, the share of patent and utility model applications in the applications for the chemical sector has been 3%.
This rate increased to 12% in special applications for the chemical industry in 2013. Looking at these data, we can see that R&D studies for the chemical industry of our country are not at the desired level.
In the light of all this information, it is clear that a different perspective should be developed for the chemical industry in university-industry cooperation. All medium and large scaled producers operating in different branches of the chemical sector should primarily consider R&D as a vital activity.
R&D activity will be formed into disciplined studies within the company by making R&D departments and registering them will play important roles in the emergence of qualified products. The intellectual cycle of the R&D studies, which are the needs of the firms, can be internalized by various stages (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Technology Transfer (Tao, 1999)
Many of the stages of outsourced ideas or technologies are made more efficient with university-industry cooperation activities. Here, the most important issue for the company is to insist on university-industry cooperation and qualified R&D.
Industrialists should not ignore the cooperation with start-up and spin-off companies within the techno parks, especially during the internalization of technology or idea.
They can invest in these companies and support these companies as a mentor in developing their business ideas. With these companies, which follow the technology very closely, and with a cooperation based on the win-win principle, companies can continue their more efficient R&D activities with less fatigue.
Result
As is the case at present, university-industry cooperation activities in the chemical sector will be inevitable for the development and sustainability of the sector.
The chemical industry is very critical in terms of the sectors it addresses. It will be inevitable to make RD clusters based on innovation promoted by the state-specific government for the strong construction of this sector. Today’s techno park-like structures should be considered within the chemical sector.
However, this is a structure different from the classical techno park logic, such as an institute where companies in the chemical industry can contribute directly and be encouraged by the contribution they make.
This can be the center where the R&D activities of companies or entrepreneurs are made with the incentives for the production of export products and/or special chemicals with high potential of the products or products we import.
No matter what activities are done for the chemical industry, it should be kept in mind that the future of the chemical industry will shape the R&D activities that will be carried out with the university.
Dr. Onur Tolga Okan
University-Industry Relationship Coordinator
Karadeniz Technical University
Technology Transfer Office
