It Takes Two to Tango -- An Experience Report on Industry -- Academia Collaboration

Industry - academia collaboration is critical for empirical research to exist. However, there are many obstacles in the collaboration process. This paper reports on the experiences gained by the author, in a 2-year collaboration project on software testing which involved on-site work by the researcher in the industry premises. Based on notes, minutes of meetings, and progress reports, the project history is outlined. The project is analyzed, using collaboration models as a frame of reference. We conclude that there must be a balance between company 'pull' and academia 'push' in the collaboration Management support is inevitably a key factor to success, while other factors like cross-cultural skills and interfaces towards key resources also contribute.