Opportunities for Industry-University Collaboration: A Case Study From Mozambique

Standing research regarding collaborations between universities and the public/private sector highlights promising benefits for both stakeholders involved. However, as of now, such collaboration is still rare and needs therefore further investigation. This qualitative case study takes up two main purposes. Firstly, it explores Information Technology (IT) needs and challenges in Mozambique for governmental institutions and universities. Secondly, it examines obstacles, which prevent industry-university collaboration within the context of education in computer science. The focus of this research is to solve industry's problems through increased collaborations with universities, thus strengthening the overall development of the country. Methods of data collection, interviews, observations, and a document analysis were used to gain an insight to the research field. The presented results in this research paper indicate that a lack of Internet and computational resources, project management and limited available funds have been challenging for both sides, governments and universities. Furthermore, current low-tech paper-based systems and insufficient IT skills are obstacles to overcome as well. It is suggested that increased industry-university collaborations, with the support of a university based academic-industrial board, could significantly contribute towards mitigating these challenges in Mozambique.