Work-integrated learning (WIL) is often associated with students, but I experience it most clearly in my own professional role as an adjunct associate professor working part-time in industry. There are strong transdisciplinary perspectives of balancing on the border between academia and industry, and the experience has been both enriching and demanding.

In this role, I spent half of my work time, over a period of three years, at a wood manufacturing company, Södra Skogsägarna. At the same time, I remained active in both research and education at the university. At Södra I belonged to the department Innovation and Strategy (R&D). However, it is important to highlight that all projects that we worked on were in collaboration with Södra’s wood manufacturing sites. My main work responsibilities involved leading development projects on new technologies and improvements in production processes.

One of the major benefits of working on the border between academia and industry is the opportunity for genuine knowledge exchange. Academic theories meet industrial realities, and neither can stand alone. This creates a transdisciplinary learning space where organizational, technical, and human perspectives are intertwined. Such collaborations provide insights that are difficult, if not impossible, to gain from a purely academic or purely industrial position. Further, being physically present at the company and at the different factory sites is a vital aspect of the initiative and this has supported my understanding of manufacturing engineering problems and their complexity.

From a transdisciplinary perspective, this collaboration has brought to light that sustainable and competitive manufacturing requires more than technological solutions. For example, it demands collaboration across boundaries, an understanding of human and organizational dimensions, and a willingness to engage with complexity. The initiative has not only generated active work at the company, but has also resulted in scientific publications and sparked new transdisciplinary research projects.

However, balancing between two worlds comes with challenges. I often felt neither fully academic nor fully industrial. Different logics, time horizons, and expectations needed to be navigated continuously. Industrial structures can feel rigid compared to academic autonomy, while academic reflection can seem slow from an industrial perspective. Yet it is this balancing act that makes the experience more valuable.

Standing on the border shows prospects on both sides and encourages learning that goes beyond disciplines and organizations. The collaboration has resulted in co-produced research, new research questions grounded in practice, joint student supervision, and further collaborative research initiatives. On a personal level, it has been a continuous learning journey where boarders were crossed professionally, intellectually, and emotionally.

Balancing on the border between academia and industry is not always comfortable, but it is meaningful. And, it is in this in-between space that work-integrated learning becomes real by challenging assumptions, cultivating innovation, and creating impact.

Kristina M. Eriksson
Associate Professor in Production Systems
University West, Sweden

Funding acknowledgement:
This initiative was funded by The Swedish Knowledge Foundation (KK Stiftelsen).