ABSTRACT
The effectiveness of industrial-academic interaction can be assessed at the personal level and in terms of the financial benefits that accrue. Industrial-academic interaction between Japanese corporations and foreign universities is exemplified mainly by the participation of approximately 50 Japanese corporations in the Industrial Liaison Program of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the United States. The Research and development (R&D) funds received by universities from the private sector derive from designated donations, fees for contract or collaborative research, and donations from private research support corporations. The corresponding averages for industrial-academic interaction with Japanese national universities in the industry as a whole and for those capitalized at over ¥1 billion imply a disparity in the manner of conducting the academic liaison. Corporations forwarding R&D funds to foreign countries numbered 308 in FY 1983. This is equivalent to 1.7 per cent of the Japanese corporations engaged in R&D.
