INDUSTRY-ACADEMIA COLLABORATION AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
The collaboration between industry and the academic world has always been an important but rather a complex topic. Since universities and industrial companies have different business models, some investment needs to be made to converge the two positions before mutual benefits can be reaped. Universities focus on educating people and in creating new knowledge and excelling in existing know-how, while companies concentrate on mastering the challenges of a competitive environment and are striving for market success.
Ideally, partnerships between industry and academic or other research institutions would allow industry to be well informed about recent research advances, while allowing the applied research in turn to be cognizant of the needs of industry.
Universities also have social responsibilities to fulfill their obligations towards the community and contribute towards the development, advancement and transformation of the nation. In this respect, Community Engagement is to match the knowledge/expertise, facilities and resources of universities to the needs, aspirations and expectations of the community to result in a sustainable engagement.
There is increasing expectations for universities to engage with the community by translating it into practice and to make specific contribution to local, national and international communities. It is imperative for the relevant stakeholders with knowledge and subject matter experts to implement community engagement activities and projects.