| Abstract: | The interaction between universities and industry in areas concerned with science and technology is part of the broader national infrastructure involving other higher education institutions, public and private research organizations, and companies that are engaged in the generation, transfer, and use of knowledge, information, and technology. This interaction has become more formal, frequent, and planned since the 1970s, and has aroused a growing interest in governments and policy makers, from both developed and developing countries, who still regard it as an under-utilized scientific technological resource. However, it is important to point out that universities and firms are different social entities, presenting different nature and objectives, that, inevitably, affect and limit their interaction. This article aims to shed some light on one of these dissimilarities—that related to the firms’ R&D activity and intensity, that may influence their linkages with the academic world. |
