Creating impact through collaboration: a PRISMA review of academic–practitioner partnerships

This study provides a systematic and multidimensional analysis of university–industry collaboration (UIC) by examining how academic–practitioner interactions generate impact through knowledge transfer and co-creation processes. Despite the growing relevance of UIC in innovation systems, existing research remains fragmented across different dimensions, often addressing benefits, barriers, or collaboration mechanisms in isolation. This paper aims to overcome such fragmentation by offering a multidimensional synthesis of the literature. Adopting a systematic literature review methodology based on PRISMA 2020 guidelines, the study analyses 31 peer-reviewed articles selected from the Scopus database, focusing on European Union contexts and recent publications (2015 - 2026). A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted to identify recurring patterns across three core dimensions: benefits of collaboration, barriers and enablers, and collaboration formats and mechanisms. The findings show that UIC generates multi-level benefits. For firms, collaboration enhances access to scientific knowledge, improves innovation capabilities and strengthens credibility. For universities, it provides funding opportunities, increases research relevance and fosters long-term partnerships. At the system level, UIC contributes to innovation ecosystems and economic development. At the same time, collaboration is shaped by a set of ambivalent factors—such as relational dynamics, organizational capabilities, and institutional conditions—that can act as either barriers or enablers depending on how they are managed. Key enablers include trust, boundary-spanning roles, absorptive capacity, structured interaction mechanisms and digital platforms, while major barriers include misaligned incentives, limited resources and coordination challenges. The study also highlights the increasing diversity of collaboration mechanisms, ranging from traditional research partnerships to more interactive and co-creative approaches such as action research and living labs. By integrating these dimensions into a coherent analytical framework, this study contributes to advancing the understanding of UIC as a dynamic and systemic process. The findings offer theoretical insights and practical implications for designing and managing effective academic–practitioner collaborations.