This paper focuses on one particular type of linkage between university and business ? joint research partnerships ? and addresses two specific issues. First, it investigates the extent to which research quality and geographical proximity bear an influence on the frequency of the collaborations between university departments and businesses. Second, it explores the factors

affecting the geographical distance of university-business partnerships. Our findings show that both geographical proximity and research quality are positively associated with the frequency of university-industry partnerships; though, results are not homogenous across scientific disciplines. Our results also show that distance between university and business partners

exhibit a curvilinear (inverted-U shape) relationship with the research excellence of university departments.