Academic-industry collaboration in biomedical innovation: A multi-model review of barriers and facilitators

Effective collaboration between university medical centres and biotechnology companies is increasingly crucial for driving translational innovation in the health and life sciences. In particular, collaboration is strongly encouraged within biotechnology and life sciences clusters where there is physical and institutional proximity between academia and industry. However, collaboration in such clusters is dependent on many different interacting actors. This review examines the triple helix model, the university-enterprise collaboration model, and the Lewinian approach, and identifies barriers and facilitators of academic-industry collaboration. Despite mutual interest, barriers such as intellectual property issues, regulatory complexity, divergent visions, and institutional rigidity arise. Conversely, shared infrastructure, effective intermediary structures, and trust-based relationships facilitate collaboration. Based on the literature, several actionable strategies are proposed to enhance partnerships between academia and industry.