Looking Back to Move Forward: Bibliometric and Visual Analysis of Knowledge Transfer in University-Industry Collaboration

Knowledge transfer in university-industry collaboration (KTUIC) has been a hot issue of concern in recent years. Based on 874 articles published in the core collection of Web of Science, this paper conducts an in-depth bibliometric and visual analysis in terms of literature distribution, cooperation network, co-citation, knowledge base, and research hotspots analysis. The results show that the number of annual publications has shown an approximate exponential growth in the past decades. The UK is the most critical node in cross-border cooperation. Alessandro Muscio, with 11 publications, and Henry Etzkowitz, with 793 citations, are the most prolific and cited authors respectively. Research Policy has the highest frequency of citations. The knowledge base of KTUIC includes UIC and knowledge transfer, basic theories of U-I relationships, university TTOs, Bayh-Dole Act and university patenting, and individuals in university technology transfer. Research hotspots mainly focus on the related issues of third mission and entrepreneurial universities. Additionally, we also propose the future research agenda of KTUIC from the perspective of five knowledge bases. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the development status and core issues in KTUIC, and offer valuable guidance for future research directions.