Innovative businesses are integrated into networks of strategic alliances. By mobilizing these alliances, companies can gain a competitive advantage from continuous technical-scientific interactions. In today's rapidly evolving knowledge economies, companies must find and leverage new sources of knowledge to be able to innovate, grow, and remain competitive. Universities, on the other hand, are often the main repositories of such knowledge. The virtuous circle created through the exchange and creation of knowledge between the academic world and industry is, therefore, an indispensable mechanism to bridge the gap between science and the business world and promote innovation and economic growth; provided there is effective governance for managing both partners.