This research was supported by the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities and the Ministry of Science, Culture and Sport. Science and technology are linked to each other and contribute to innovation processes which serve as an important source for economic progress and growth. The link between science (academia) and technology (industry) includes, among others, transfer of knowledge from academia to industry, through graduates, publication, and commercializing knowledge by granting licenses and professional advice. On the other hand industry can contribute resources thus expanding financial sources for research in academia.
The research was conducted with the aim of examining the existing relations between academia and industry in Israel and crystallize indicators that will help in appraising and quantifying those relations. In the framework of the research surveys were conducted among members of the academic staff and Israel’s high-tech industries which assisted in examining the parties’ position on the subject.
The research indicated that there was awareness of the importance of the link between academia and industry. This awareness is translated in the field and finds it expression in the existence of a variety of mechanisms for technology transfers and other connections between academia – staff members – and industry. Among those mechanisms is the hiring of graduate students and graduates by industry, professional advisory services provided to the industry by members of the academic staff, use of publications and information exchange at conferences, purchasing rights for the use of patents developed by academia and financing academic research by industry.
In crystallizing the indices for evaluating the process of technology transfer from academia to industry, a distinction was made between indices examining the efficiency of technology transfer, from the point of view of the academic institute and the application company responsible for the project, and between indices examining the efficiency of the process, from the point of view of the profit for the local/regional/ national economy.
