Introduction

University–industry collaborations hold great potential, especially when business and the humanities meet on equal terms. The contributions in this book work towards this ideal, tackling the challenges of such collaborations from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. Drawing on hands-on examples, the different chapters explore how university–industry collaborations create value for both research and business. Throughout the book, we focus especially on the human perspective, a perspective that highlights and illustrates how complex knowledge and a deep understanding of human everyday life enriches companies’ processes, products, services, and ideas. Beyond unpacking this human perspective, the chapters in this book also contribute to the creation of substantial knowledge for humanities and social science scholars and soon-to-be practitioners in research–business collaborations.