In general, companies benefit from greater competitive advantages when they have ready access to useful information. Therefore, it is recommended that companies and research groups increase their range of information tools and joint management procedures through websites in order to provide the following:

• Information concerning grants, scholarships, and national and international funding programmes which support collaboration. This should include practical assistance to applicants specifying, for example, deadlines, requirements, an alert system, available funds, target public, etc.
• Tools for assessing Companies, Universities and their collaborative activities including R&D&i projects. This would maximise efficiency in terms of adapting to customers’ needs and ensuring that collaboration is continuously improved.
• Assistance in designing programmes and collaborative projects, thereby providing users with advice on project development and presentation, whilst increasing their chances of finding funding.
• A virtual point of contact with other international networks which enables users to interact with foreign universities and companies.
• A good practice guide for University-Business Collaboration which is updated on a regular basis.

The objective of this recommendation is to offer comprehensive information about all the subjects of interest for each individual user as well as the associated difficulties, the services offered by the research groups or companies, etc. in a flexible and user-friendly manner. This interactive service offers the possibility of identifying the research groups which can best respond to the different needs which may arise.

Agents required for implementation

The implementation of this solution requires a mutual agreement between companies and intermediary agents in order to decide whether it can be included in the range of available services.

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1. Based on initiatives developed by Austrian foundations: Evaluation of the Austrian Industrial Research Promotion Fund (FFF) and the Austrian Science Fund (FWF).
2. Global Knowledge Management at DANONE. Harvard Business School, 2008.