Academic institutions and industry: bridging the gap.

Academic institutions and industry are separate entities but strongly depend on each other. As innovation is their common interest, the exchange of scientific information and of highly qualified scientists is essential for their success. However, there are serious obstacles for the mobility of scientists between academic institutions and industry. These institutions have different goals and objectives that determine the working conditions. In the present article, several terms describing the characteristics of work in either institution are presented and discussed. Whereas academic life seems to proceed in circles around a topic of interest, life in industry may be best described by vectors that can rapidly change size and direction. Scientists moving between academic institutions and industry need a high degree of flexibility to adapt to the different environments.