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date: 17 January 2021

Abstract and Keywords

This chapter investigates the relationship between industry and academia from the perspective of industry. In addition to the theoretical review, it is based on feedback from industry leaders on how they see the role of their organizations in wider society. This chapter utilizes case studies to examine the relationship between specific companies, their academic partners, and the wider society. It focuses on the UK experience reflecting the location of its author. It specifically looks at the links between Coventry University, a British public institution located in the West Midlands, and its selected partners: the Unipart Group, Horiba MIRA, Interserve, and KPIT in India. It also refers to a bespoke Global Leaders Programme which is an exclusive, extra-curricular offering, designed to enhance students’ leadership and soft skills and prepare them for future employment after graduation. Wherever possible, the author aimed to obtain feedback from the industry representatives to assess their views on the impact of their companies on the wider society. In the same spirit, relevant colleagues from Coventry University were asked for their feedback to ensure that both perspectives were fairly captured. The examples given, and indeed, the philosophy behind the projects could be transferred to other countries and applied to other industries.

Keywords: industry, societal impact, Coventry University, industry–university partnerships, regional development, knowledge creation, innovation, human capital, social capital

Suzanna Tomassi

Suzanna Tomassi has been responsible for developing and expanding partnerships with universities from across a broad swathe of socio-cultural traditions. Suzanna works as Deputy Director (Partnerships) at the Open University in the UK and she sits on the Executive Board of the European University Alliance. She has been working within the HE sector for many years, with most of them spent in business development, working with collaborative partners, setting up and successfully managing transnational education (TNE) and collaborative provision. As a scholar-practitioner, Suzanna works at the intersection where academia and industry meet, in building human and social capital inthe UK and abroad. Suzanna’s PhD and more recent research examines the regional effects of the developments in academia and the determination of the impact of internationalization and the cooperation between regions and the individual universities on regional industrial development. Prior to her PhD, she completed two Masters Degrees and an MBA in Higher Education Management (IoE, UCL). As a student Suzanna had an opportunity to experience internationalization and study abroad. This triggered her lifelong passion for TNE. Suzanna has frequently presented on the subject of internationalization and partnerships in the UK and abroad. She had also served for nine years as an elected external member on the board of a university council, representing the alumni body.

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