Experiences of didactic collaboration between universities and companies

Head: Luca Quaratino

Year 2019

Project to study the forms of teaching collaboration between universities and businesses. The focus was on the universities of Milan (plus Pavia) and was specifically on a series of Collaboration Agreements between Assolombarda and individual universities in the two-year period 2016-2018 which involved:

  • 30 initiatives
    • teaching, traineeships, orientation, assessment
    • three-year bachelor's and two-year post-graduate degrees, master's degrees, PhDs
  • 90 participating companies
  • over 1000 participating students

The objectives of the research were as follows:

  • To analyse the experiences of didactic partnership activated after the agreements with the single Milanese universities
  • To rebuild the impact of individual initiatives
  • To highlight its strengths and critical points for academies and for companies
  • To make recommendations to consolidate a culture of educational partnership as a stable mode of cooperation

The methodology involved:

  • Triangulation of the point of view of universities, businesses and students
  • Selection of the most significant experiences for each university
  • Mix method for data gathering: structured questionnaire and qualitative interviews
  • Use of 'stories' - free and subjective reconstruction of real experiences - with the students

The research has made it possible to perfect an analytical model of interpretation of the phenomenon of collaboration between universities and businesses on education, to highlight the advantages of implementing initiatives of this type for all parties involved and the possible lines of evolution of the phenomenon.

The research was presented at a public event at Assolombarda on 15 April 2019.