Toward Efficient Academia-Industry Collaboration: A Case Study of Joint VR System Development

Collaborative academia-industry development and evaluation of
virtual reality (VR) systems is a mutually beneficial opportunity
to investigate VR technology in a real context and conduct user
studies with target users. However, such collaboration is rarely
performed due to variations in project pace and work methods. In
this article, we introduce the process of action research on joint
design, development, and evaluation of a collaborative VR system
to address industrial needs. The paper further presents employees’
subjective opinions and perceived value of industrial VR applica-
tions and reflects on their involvement throughout the process. The
article concludes with a process-oriented framework for remote
academia-industry collaboration, supported with practical sugges-
tions on how to support this collaboration. Our experiences reveal
the methods and advantages of remote collaboration in all phases
of the process and signify the efficiency of the remote framework
for academia-industry collaboration, especially relevant in the light
of the COVID-19 pandemia