From Chance to Systematization: Shedding Light on the Formation Phase of University-SME Cooperation

Kruse, Paul; Reiners, Sebastian; Elmer, Janis

Abstract

The adoption of digital technologies is far from trivial. Especially for Small and Medium-sized Enterprise with their limitations in resources. To overcome these limitations, cooperation with academia has proven to be useful. However, these cooperation are heavily dependent on personal connections. Despite research regarding the formation process, the initial step, identifying a contact person, remains ambiguous. By conducting 15 interviews with academia and practitioners who successfully establish such cooperation, we provide insights for forming cooperation between academia and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. The interviews were analyzed using an inductive approach. This resulted in 381 codes, 13 2nd-order themes, and four dimensions. Ultimately, four exemplary strategies for how to leverage the framework are demonstrated. These strategies provide actionable pathways for both Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and academia to initiate and maintain successful cooperation and illustrate how the developed framework can be used by Small and Medium-sized Enterprises and universities to identify suitable strategies for improving their ability to establish contact with potential partners.