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Managing Collaborations at the University-Industry Interface: An Exploration of the Diffusion of PCR and rDNA

Collaborations between universities and firms are of growing interest to scholars and practitioners alike, many of whom see these relationships as key to knowledge diffusion. While the literature on university-firm collaborations has made a number of contributions, however, it has not engaged in a deep exploration of the actual processes by which knowledge may “diffuse” through collaboration. In this study, I explore the diffusion of recombinant DNA and polymerase chain reaction – two key techniques in biotechnology – and I employ the frames of “public” and “private” science to investigate how different incentives shape perceived collaboration costs and, therefore, behaviors. My analysis demonstrates the important role of collaborations not merely in “diffusing” know-how around techniques but also in mutually extending techniques. In contrast to most studies of university-firm relationships, I also point to firms as important partners in diffusion to universities. Finally, I demonstrate how public and private science frame collaboration issues differently for university- versus firm-based researchers, resulting in different patterns and network structures whose overall functioning depends, at least in part, on the conflicts between incentives.