Managing Large-Scale Research Facilities for Innovation: Stakeholder Approaches to Institutional Collaboration in Academia

The role of academia has become increasingly central to the development and management of Innovation Ecosystems (IE). By spearheading industry-academia collaboration projects with regional enterprises and facilitating the shared utilization of large-scale research facilities, academia functions as a critical hub for open innovation, enhancing its engagement with industry and society. However, a major challenge lies in fostering effective collaboration across academic departments and institutions to drive such initiatives and ensure seamless facility operations. While prior research on academic collaboration predominantly focuses on individual researchers or laboratory-level efforts, recent studies have begun to explore interdepartmental and inter-institutional collaborations within academia to advance the IE framework. Nevertheless, the issue of providing adequate incentives to encourage academic scientists to participate autonomously and meaningfully in these activities remains unresolved. This study examines these challenges through interviews with academic scientists involved in managing neutron facilities and detailed analyses of relevant case studies. The research identifies key barriers to effective collaboration and proposes actionable strategies for promoting efficient and sustainable IE management. The findings contribute to the advancement of value creation within IE and provide a solid foundation for its long-term sustainability.