Identification of the research university strategic partners based on the concepts of the inter-firm partnership management

In the knowledge-based economics the role of science and higher education is changing, modern universities are patterning after innovative corporations from the perspective of research and development (R&D), as well as the protection of intellectual property and technology transfer. With the change of the university's status from classical to research-intensive the relevance of building up relations with partners is increasing. The success of the relations in the longer term is determined by identifying strategic partners and assessing their potential. In the article the following concepts are classified: concept of inter-firm partnership (theory of transaction cost, resource-based approach), concept of value; stakeholder concept, relationship marketing concept (networking, network concept). The key points that determine the selection of a strategic partner of a research university are identified: the potential for reducing transaction costs and improving coordination processes; the complementary resources of strategic significance for the university; the potential for value creation of the inter-firm interaction (social, economic, strategic); the possible contribution of a partner in the value chain (joint problem solving in the field of quality control); the development of a new product; the use of technical, technological and information innovation in real working environment; the access to necessary resources limited in the economics based on the prolongation of relations with partners; the integrated aims and interests and the identification of possible and acceptable methods of achieving them; the possibility of building an integrated network structure, which unites participants with strategic identity (the attractiveness of the company as a business partner, depending on the system of its relations with other organizations, as well as connections with their actions and resources) and provides access to new technologies, markets, accelerated innovation and risk-sharing between members of the network that forms the basis for the specific asset investments; the increase in a variety of relations that may transform into a partnership. Synthesised methodology for identification of strategic partners of a research university on the basis of the said concepts includes: the assessment of the established university contacts with partners and the search for new ones; identification of potential partners on the basis of unifying aims and interests, complementarity of resources; the analysis of the cooperation value (economic, strategic, social) and the construction of the network interaction structure; the choice of strategic partners.