The relationship between university–industry collaboration, absorptive capacity, and technological innovation: Evidence from Turkey

University-Industry Collaborations (UICs) are a priority in the literature as significant research areas. However, the relationship between university-industry collaborations and technological innovation performance is still in its infancy in emerging countries, such as Turkey. This research aims to investigate the relationships among UICs, firms' absorptive capacity (both potential and realized), and technological innovations (exploitative and exploratory). The research gap in this area continues. Thus, drawing on a mediation analysis of 170 firms in Istanbul, this study finds a positive relationship between UICs and potential absorptive capacity (PACAP), realized absorptive capacity (RACAP), and exploitative technological innovation. RACAP positively affects exploitative and explorative technological innovations and mediates the relationship between UICs and exploitative technological innovation. PACAP positively influences RACAP. Based on these findings, the research discusses theoretical and practical implications.