university–enterprise cooperation

and a growing network of resource providers
which can help to stimulate company
development will contribute to wider
attraction of WB region.
As a good example it can be mentioned the
Novi Sad Science Incubation Centre (NOSIC),
Serbia established in 2003. There are now
44 registered enterprises in high-tech areas.
Just for illustration we would like to name a
few: DMS Group, Energobull, Intens, HIO-FTN
Group, 4 Expand, Levi 9, Novatronic, Novilog,
etc. All were established by university staff
and researchers at the University of Novi
Sad, Serbia. 28 companies are doing business
with a significant profit and 576 persons are
employed in these enterprises.
6.3.2 Organization of WBC Industrial Clusters
Regional clusters, the geographic
concentration of economic activities in a
specific field connected through different
types of linkages, from knowledge spillovers
to the use of a common labour market, are
increasingly viewed as an interesting model
for universities-enterprises cooperation
and understanding the economic strength
or competitiveness of a region.
One of the most promising knowledgetransfer
programmes in WBC can be model to
develop industrial (research-driven) clusters
involving both enterprises and universities
and/or research institutes. Regional clusters
will enable companies to reach higher levels
of productivity and be more innovative. Apart
from companies research and educational
institutions and regional development
agencies can increase their economic benefits.
They can improve linkages and mobilize joint
action to improve critical areas of the clusterspecific
business environment in the region,
and to increase international visibility of
the regional cluster. The established clusters
should be mutually linked and they need to
have close relations with the Chambers of
Commerce in WBC region.
One of the aims of clusters is to promote
knowledge transfer among the members of
the cluster. Knowledge and technology transfer
takes place between members of the clusters
and includes skills and expertise transfer
from universities and research institutes to
enterprises. The knowledge should circulate
also in the opposite direction – clusters will
stimulate the development of new courses in
the universities, for example courses on new IT
technologies, virtual engineering applications,
embedded systems, bioengineering, flexible
and organic electronics, rapid prototyping, etc.
The members of the clusters will cooperate
mainly in the field of joint promotion, joint
R&D projects, participation in joint education
events and in other forms of acquired
knowledge. Cooperation in setting up the
joint infrastructure of the cluster and in
lobbying for common interests will be also
important knowledge transfer activities.
Innovation regional policies should enhance
linkages between the scientific community
(universities and research organizations) and
enterprises by improving the microeconomic
capacity of the nations in WB region. The
role of universities in the innovation process
typically involve five areas: spin-out of
research projects leading to the formation of
new firms, licensing technology to established
firms, university-enterprises collaboration
programs (e.g. joint funding of research),
publishing of research making it generally
available, and through the continuous flow
of graduated students and PhDs with new
skills and knowledge. However, university
linkages with established firms often lead to
higher growth which points to the fact that
establishing regional industry clusters are
critical to the university-industry linkage in
the innovation process.
The main reasons for entering in the clusters
can be:
• The financial subsidy from the state;
• The commercial pressure for a higher degree
of linkage and cooperation between sectors;
• Improved access to information resources
and knowledge transfer through joint
projects.
Key success factors include the creation
of trust among the members, effective
leadership of the cluster and the effective
support of the top management.
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New WBC model of university-enterprise cooperation 6