Introduction: Academia-Business Linkages in Europe; R.Wink PART ONE: THE CHANGED ENVIRONMENT OF UNIVERSITIES Spin offs and Start ups in UK Universities; D.Hague Are Research Spin offs a Local Phenomenon? Empirical Findings from Germany; J.Egeln, S.Gottschalk, C.Rammer & A.Spielkamp Academia and Business: Links and Lags in Spain; J.Alfonso-Gil & A.Saez-Cala Measuring and Funding the \'Third Mission\': The UK Policy Debate; J.Molas-Gallart The Role of Intellectual Property Rights Regimes for R&D Cooperation between Industry and Academia; U.Blum & S.Müller PART TWO: ACADEMIA-BUSINESS LINKAGES AND INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT Why Invest in Biotechnology? German and British Biotechnology Compared; R.Harding Geographical Proximity and Circulation of Knowledge through Inter-firm Cooperation; D.Gallaud & A.Torre Evaluating the Future Impact of Academic Research in New Technologies: The Case of Bio-Photonics in Germany; G.Benzler & M.Kraus The Matrix INT (Instruments and Needs of Technology) and the Evaluation of Innovation Policies; R.Cappellin PART THREE: ACADEMIA-BUSINESS LINKAGES AND THE REGIONAL DIMENSION The Territorial Development of Innovation Support Assets through University-Business Interactions: Towards a Dynamic Model; P.Benneworth & S.Dawley Regional Innovation System Barriers and the Rise of Boundary Crossing Institutions; P.Cooke Universities as Hubs to Global Knowledge Pipelines? A Strategy-Focused Perspective on Regional University Policies; R.Wink Enlarging the Scale of Knowledge and Innovation Networks: Theoretical Perspectives, Methodological Approaches and Policy Issues; R.Cappellin & M.Steiner