The purpose of this study is to identify the nature of change taking place in university-industry partnerships, to understand the underlying factors that influence that change, and to explore the underlying process of change. Three in-depth case studies are considered, that of MIT, Cambridge University, and Tokyo University, to compare their experiences in developing new types of university-industry relationships. Hatakenaka argues that internal and external organizational boundaries have influenced the evolution of the new types of relationships, and that the three universities have defined these boundaries differently.

The purpose of this study is to identify the nature of change taking place in university-industry partnerships, to understand the underlying factors that influence that change, and to explore the underlying process of change. Three in-depth case studies are considered, that of MIT, Cambridge University, and Tokyo University, to compare their experiences in developing new types of university-industry relationships. Hatakenaka argues that internal and external organizational boundaries have influenced the evolution of the new types of relationships, and that the three universities have defined these boundaries differently.