Presidential address: Industryacademic collaborations: An opportunity for the minerals industry during the economic downturn

Abstract

Although collaborative partnerships between universities and the minerals industry have been ongoing for ages, the potential benefits that can be realized through such partnerships have become increasingly important and are now more relevant than ever. This is because the growing complexity of problems such as the depletion of rich and easy-to-treat ore deposits, rising production costs, water issues, and stringent environmental regulations, coupled with increasing economic pressure and hence budget cuts, have made it difficult for companies to do the necessary research in-house in order to remain globally competitive. Similarly, universities are constantly faced with challenges such as lack of steady financial support for their research and training programmes, as well as the need to have their research commercialized or applied to solve existing industry problems so as to enhance their reputation. Although industry-academic collaborations generally lay the foundations for pathways to knowledge and technology transfer from academia to industry and vice-versa, industry and universities are sometimes dissatisfied with the ability to extract value from the partnerships. For example, the research partnerships generally face various challenges such as failure to agree on intellectual property issues and confidentiality of joint projects. In addition, while industry in most cases seeks quick solutions to existing problems (corporate, profit-driven applied research), universities on the other hand may only value excellent research outputs in the form of publications (contribution to a public body of knowledge). As a result of differences in the motivations of universities and the industry, 'perceived' disappointing results can stem from the partnerships. Thus, one fundamental principle for developing an industryacademic collaboration into a successful and beneficial partnership lies in each partner's understanding of the working environment, missions, and motivations of the other. This paper explores the benefits, the potential areas of collaboration, challenges, and the best-practice approach for successful collaborative partnership between the minerals industry and academic institutions, in order to increase the capacity for innovation and growth in the minerals sector.