Abstract
U-I collaboration (UIC) has become a hot issue in the fields of academia and public policy. This article examines how UIC formation can be improved through social capital within external networks owned by individuals and organizations. U-I linkage not only utilizes the knowledge and innovation inside universities, but also provides firms with innovative solutions in today’s rapidly changing environment. To mitigate the barriers in developing U-I relationships, in this paper, we take the “Tsinghua Lab” as a case study to illustrate the significance of three types of unique social networks embedding actors: political, communal, and professional networks, all of which can be exploited to facilitate new UIC relationships in different phases. The theoretical and managerial implications are also provided and discussed.