Searching to bridge the gaps: a new typology of university-industry interaction

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to propose a new typology to leverage the different knowledge gaps existing between universities and industries. This new typology classifies interactions into training-oriented, diffusion-oriented, service-oriented, development-oriented, and research-oriented. Design/methodology/approach The Brazilian 2010 Census data available from the CNPq Research Group Directory were used to test the typology. Findings It was found that, among the five types of interactions proposed, the most frequent were the development-oriented (39 per cent), diffusion-oriented (23 per cent), and research-oriented (16 per cent) ones. These findings indicate that it is likely that university-industry (U-I) interactions have improved in terms of quality in an attempt to attain a joint higher technological development. Originality/value The paper provides the U-I interaction debate with a new perspective about the kinds of interactions that could effectively bridge the knowledge gaps between universities and industries, especially in a developing country context.