The long-term impact of engaged scholarship: how do SMEs capitalise on their engagement with academics to explore new opportunities?

摘要: We investigate whether—and how—small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are able to capitalise on their engagement with academics in order explore new opportunities beyond the achievement of immediate objectives collaboration. Using empirical evidence drawn from academic-SME collaborations supported by Knowledge Transfer Partnership programme UK, we find that, for many SMEs, has led business opportunities, including market creation, project engagement, venture strategic network development. The exploration is facilitated when three overarching factors present: i) a capable boundary spanner, who creates bridges within SME between university, gains an in-depth knowledge collaboration’s content; ii) committed leadership willing allocate resources permissions collaboration, encouraging open flow communication; iii) strong relationship, characterised trust cognitive proximity, partners, engage discussions acknowledge respect different roles responsibilities. These findings offer suggestions universities policy makers relation improving generation long-term impacts SMEs through engaged scholarship.