Introduction

The entire system of higher education has changed radically during the last decades. This includes for example both changes in the structure of funding as well as increased demands from the labour market. One strategy to adopt to the new conditions is to develop close ties to external organizations such as industry (Clark 1998; Slaughter and Leslie 1997). This paper investigates expectations on, and roles of, researchers from industry, affiliated part time at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). In this paper we call these researchers “affiliated faculty”. The questions are, what are the expectations from HEIs as well as from industry on the affiliated faculty? And how does this correspond to the role taken by these affiliated researchers?

Methodology

The paper is based on the results of documentary studies and interviews at KTH Royal Institute of Technology and Mälardalen University. In total 27 interviews, including affiliated professors and management from industry and HEI, are undertaken. From this material, a pattern has been distinguished through content analysis (Patton 2002).

Preliminary Results

The interviews reveal that high but divergent expectations are placed on the affiliated faculty. Affiliated faculty are expected to bring in new experiences and contacts from industry to enrich the university environment. However the process of affiliating a professor is described as very dependent on personal contacts. The affiliated faculty are also a way of promoting the university, making its research and its brand more visible outside academia. By contrast, industry has its primary focus on educational aspects. Industrial partners are, for example, interested in bringing concrete industrial problems that can be used as examples in teaching and learning. Affiliated professors themselves express that one of their missions is to identify the best students for future recruitment. From a personal perspective, the affiliated professors appreciate the possibility of having the time to go deeper into questions that they do not find time for in their ordinary jobs.