Trends in the Development of Collaboration between Horticultural Research and Education and the Industry

Research and teaching skills are no longer the only requirements on qualified scholars, who are now expected also to have skills in facilitation and ability to collaborate with the environment. One example of how such co-operation can be organised is Partnership Alnarp, an organisation of representatives of the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) and member companies or organisations within the industry. The structure of research, higher and professional education and advisory services has been described as constituting the Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS), when applied to agriculture as a whole. The scope of this paper is to describe and discuss the Triple Helix Concept of co-operation between academia, industry and government, the changes in the Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS) of research, higher and professional education and advisory services, and the organisation of collaboration between the university (SLU) and the industry in Partnership Alnarp. Some experiences of this co-operation from the member, academic and student point of view, with results from a recently made evaluation of this partnership are presented. Results show that the partner companies and organisations were very content with the collaboration, as were the academics and students who participated in Partnership Alnarp. Firms and organisations tend to favour applied and short term research over more basic one. This should initiate serious discussions about the role of science. Collaboration between students and firms is highly appreciated by both parties and may lead to higher employability of the students. Networking, closeness and personal relations play a crucial role in the success. The project so far can be described as a success story, a generator of growth and a brand creator for Alnarp.