Nature Index 2017 Science Inc.

Companies have stepped back from in-house science and are relying heavily on external institutions for knowledge.

A graphic overview of corporate–academic relationships, and how the balance of output has changed.

The withdrawal of large US corporations from research is narrowing the scope of innovation.

New findings suggest corporate collaboration encourages academic productivity.

Companies publishing high-quality research are looking to academia for assistance.

Life science companies are missing out on the benefits of open innovation.

Academic life isn’t for everyone. Here we profile scientists who have made the switch from academia to industry, all motivated by a desire to see their discoveries translated into real-world solutions.

Exploring complementary strengths is the key to success in industry–academia science partnerships.

The Japanese government wants to lure more industry funding into universities, but companies need to be convinced they’ll get value.

A description of the terminology and methodology used in this supplement, and a guide to the functionality available free online at nature.com/nature-index/.