Knowledge transfer through disciplinary lenses: insights from German universities

Universities are increasingly tasked with addressing societal challenges beyond their traditional roles of teaching and research. While researchers’ engagement in knowledge transfer activities has steadily increased over the years, the specific ways different disciplines shape this engagement remain underexplored. Most studies only provide a general comparison between the field of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and the field of social sciences and humanities, overlooking discipline-specific insights into transfer practices and constraints. These gaps raise questions about how diverse disciplines contribute to a university’s third mission. Building on theories of disciplinary distinctions, this study uses a large-scale survey of professors with 3,914 completed questionnaires at 144 German universities. We developed and validated six types of knowledge transfer activities and examined the links between disciplines and individual engagement patterns. Our results indicate that hard-applied disciplines (e.g. engineering and computer science) excel in patenting and science-industry collaborations, while soft-applied fields (e.g. education and law) prioritise Experiential Learning and Societal Collaboration. Pure disciplines, e.g. humanities, focus more on Public Science Communication. These findings underscore the fact that distinct disciplinary cultures shape the extent and nature of knowledge transfer. Consequently, engagement in knowledge transfer activities should always be evaluated in a discipline-specific context.