Barriers faced by Universities for the transfer of research to public policies

Abstract

In history, the university and public policies have interacted since ancient times. It is not difficult to show that even before being known as such, university education institutions brought together people of high social influence, who often had in their hands the possibility of improving people's quality of life. The university and society have always had a connection, and their reciprocal influence with the environment is undeniable. However, impediments are raised for the formalized contribution of higher education as a space for the generation of scientific knowledge towards society. This paper presents a reflection on the most frequent barriers faced by universities for the transfer of the research they generate towards public policies. Among the most frequent barriers, the following are detailed and described: research financing, the politicization of universities, the instances of communication with decision makers, the link between the university and the environment, the temporality of the research, the competences of the new research leaders, the university bureaucratization, the social contribution as a missionary and strategic element in the university, few interdisciplinary work spaces. Each of these barriers implies new challenges for the organization. In order to overcome them, it is proposed to promote joint work among the various actors so that universities can empower themselves with their service mission and thus become involved in collaborative initiatives with the public sector and civil society.