R&D and innovation and university-industry collaboration perception in SMEs: METU Technopolis example

The aim of this academic work is to promote R&D, which is the growth strategy in the direction of competitive technological developments, and SMEs that are focused on innovation; and to contribute to the scientific work in this area by helping them to establish successful collaborations in order to create innovative products / services by exploring their views on university industry cooperation. Hypotheses obtained from the operation of 215 SME scale operating in METU Technopolis have been analyzed with chi-square test as statistical method. It has become clear that SMEs need to have a correct structuring of this mutual interaction needed between the university and industry in the coming period. Businesses have a positive outlook on the necessity of university industry cooperation. At the same time, on factors and constraints that affect success; communication, trust, mutual expectation, cultural diversity of institutions, harmony with cooperation of common goals and request for cooperation.