Performance of University-Construction Industry Collaboration: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda

Abstract

University-construction industry collaboration (UIC) has become an essential part of driving innovation and fostering construction industry growth. Measuring performance of such collaboration is an emergent field of study. The present research evaluated the literature related to measuring performance of university-construction industry collaboration taking into consideration the publications in selected scientific databases. Findings were discussed and confirmed in the context of Qatar education and innovation ecosystem through semi-structured interviews with two renowned scholars involved in university-construction industry collaboration. This study aims to (1) identify the most cited references in measuring UCIC performance (2) identify UIC performance indicators advocated by top cited references, and (3) refine and map UIC performance indicators in the context of the state of Qatar. The publications reviewed were obtained through a search of the Science Direct, Emerald Insight, Scopus, Web of Science, Springer Link, SAGE, Research Gate, and Taylor & Francis Online. Keywords used in searching for articles included university-construction industry, university-construction business, cooperation, collaboration, relation, performance, and measurement. The study revealed that universities are increasingly focused on measuring performance of collaboration with construction industry. As such, it contributes to a general understanding of measuring UIC performance and defining trends in this research field. It also highlights specifically the challenges for measuring UIC performance in Qatar. In this context, key UIC performance indicators include (1) Number of Publications, (2) Number of Citations (3) Number of Registered Patents, (4) Number of Patent Applications, (5) Number of Training Programs Provided and (6) Number of Innovations.