Typology of Industrial Collaborative Ideals: How Industry Approaches University–Industry Collaboration (UIC)

University–Industry Collaboration (UIC) has been a well-established field of research for over 50 years, offering insights into best practices, precursors, and supporting factors while acknowledging industry partners as proactive contributors. However, a comprehensive understanding of how industry approaches UIC remains elusive. This study examines industry collaboration strategies with higher education institutions (HEIs) and defines ideal types of industrial collaborators, illustrating their engagement approaches. Using a qualitative, inductive methodology, we conducted 20 semi-structured interviews with senior management and strategic decision-makers from large enterprises engaged in academic collaboration. The data were analyzed following Gioia et al. (2013) to ensure qualitative rigor, and a typology was developed based on the framework of Doty and Glick (1994). Our analysis introduces a novel typology of industrial collaboration ideals, providing a theoretical framework to better understand the complex