Development of boundary-spanning organisations in Japanese universities for different types of university–industry collaborations: a resource dependence perspective

Based on a historical analysis of university–industry collaboration (UIC) in Japan, this paper elucidates the relationships between a variety of UIC types and the functional differentiation of boundary-spanning organisations to promote UIC from a resource dependence perspective. To overcome the traditional limitations of informal, inter-personal collaboration, the Japanese government has made intensive institutional and organisational reforms to establish formal boundary-spanning organisations in universities since the late 1980s. This paper investigates the roles, effects, and limitations of boundary-spanning organisations, such as (1) UI Cooperative Research Centres initiated in 1987, (2) Approved Technology Licensing Organisations in 1998, and (3) Intellectual Property Headquarters in 2003, which have mediated different types of UIC. The research results suggest that formal boundary-spanning organisations can significantly drive the growth of UI collaborations and that the different types of UIC require a functional specialisation in boundary-spanning organisations by developing coordinative expertise, human resources, institutional arrangements, and organisational structures. Furthermore, for instituting effective organisational management of UIC in university, this research emphasises the significance of integrity and coherence among different boundary-spanning functions.