Configuring intermediary role portfolios in science parks: a four-tier process model of university-industry collaboration

Science Parks (SPs) are widely recognised as innovation intermediaries in University-Industry collaboration (UIC), yet how their intermediary roles are configured and reconfigured across project stages remains underexplored. This study conceptualises SPs as portfolio assemblers that select, combine, and reweight four core roles – consulting, brokering, mediating, and resource provision – throughout UIC project lifecycles. Drawing on three university-affiliated science parks in Thailand and nine collaborative research projects, we analyse 27 semi-structured interviews with researchers, firm managers, and project managers, complemented by programme documents and project reports. The findings identify nine factors integrated into a four-tier process model. Tier A (policy instruments and KPIs) anchors baseline resource provision and steers emphasis towards participation or conversion outcomes. Tier B (resources, reputation, project-manager capability) defines the feasible frontier. Tier C (partner needs, involvement, firm readiness) specifies required intermediation depth. Tier D (outcome characteristics) generates feedback shaping subsequent configurations. Role portfolios typically evolve from consulting and brokering at initiation towards mediation and resource-intensive support during validation and market entry, with reversals when capability constraints arise. The study develops a mechanism-based explanation linking instrument design, organisational capabilities, and collaboration conditions to temporal reweighting of intermediary roles.