University competence centres (UCCs) are created to enhance university-industry collaboration and knowledge sharing among collaborating partners. This study investigates the organisation of knowledge sharing among firms in UCCs through a qualitative case study of UCCs with or without a focus on research in their activities. Data collection was done through interviews and observations over a period of 24 months. While the findings indicate that both types of UCCs are non-neutral, they also reveal several different characteristics that appear primarily based on a strong tie either to the first (education) or the second (research) mission of academia. Although both types of UCCs act to build a common meaning among participating organisations, the focus on the first or the second mission leads to this meaning is primarily being constructed in the firm-to-firm or university-to-firm interfaces, respectively. Whereas cross-industry knowledge sharing is emphasised by both types of centres, it is thus more strongly emphasised by UCCs without a focus on research as it helps to avoid harmful effects of knowledge spillovers. The focus on the first mission also appears able to sustain the organisation of knowledge ecosystems created by UCCs without a focus on research in a prefigurative form, which is otherwise typically transient. Furthermore, the challenges to sustainability are different, with centres focused on research being pre-occupied with funding issues, while centres not focused on research leveraging on others means to maintain the interest of industry. The findings contribute to innovation management research and practice by refining current understanding of processes and practices of university-industry collaboration, and how they contribute to facilitate (cross-industry) collaboration and knowledge transfer. Given that university-industry collaboration is often promoted in national innovation policies to create value for society as whole, our findings contribute towards enabling organisations, managers as well as governments to take more informed actions when engaging in such collaborations.