C‐ LENS : An Integrative Process Framework for Managing Governance and Complexity in University–Industry Collaboration

ABSTRACT University–industry collaboration (UIC) often underperforms not because its relevance is unclear, but because collaboration processes are rarely designed to accommodate evolving governance needs amid complexity. Existing studies have examined drivers, barriers, and institutional interfaces, yet process dynamics, governance mechanisms, and complexity conditions are still typically treated in isolation. This paper develops C‐LENS as an integrative process framework that embeds governance and complexity directly within the collaboration lifecycle. Building on a structured synthesis of the UIC, governance, complexity, and organizational modeling literatures, the framework combines three analytical axes—lifecycle stages, process elements, and complexity dimensions—to support diagnosis, coordination, and adaptation in research‐intensive collaborations. We then conduct an exploratory practitioner‐based evaluation in a large industrial R&D organization managing multiple university partnerships. The findings show strong practitioner agreement regarding the framework's clarity, completeness, and perceived usefulness. More specifically, respondents indicate that C‐LENS helps make roles, decision interfaces, and sources of coordination difficulty explicit across project stages. The paper contributes by integrating previously fragmented perspectives, by operationalizing complexity as a diagnostic layer linked to governance choices, and by offering a practical architecture for designing and adapting collaborations in complex R&D environments.