The transfer of the technology created by universities to the world of industry has improved significantly in recent years. From the perspective of transfer tools, the vehicles used to transfer exploitation rights over the results of university research have become increasingly diverse and sophisticated. As such, patent licences, which were the main and almost only means available for decades, have been joined by several other initiatives, such as university spin-offs. Nevertheless, there is a long way to go before businesses, especially SMEs, adopt a culture of co-developing their products with universities. This collaboration can bring a lot to both worlds: research excellence to the business world; proximity to the real technical problem for universities. Among the obstacles to better collaboration, there is probably the time. To understand the problem, it must be remembered that sharing knowledge is and must be a guiding principle of university research. Accordingly, the entire system is designed to achieve this purpose, be it by publishing scientific articles or applying for patents (which offer exclusivity in exchange for disclosure). However, in an era of vertiginous technological change like the one we are experiencing, the time it takes to obtain a patent means they are not always the right instrument for this purpose. While seeking protection as a trade secret could be an option, the confidentiality inherent to this legal instrument clashes head on with the sharing of knowledge that is the purpose and raison d’être of universities. Is there a compromise? It is in hands of universities and the business world to work together to find a balance, in which the use of trade secrets as a transfer tool does not distort the very nature of public research, but rather encourages collaboration and improves results to ensure knowledge is better shared with society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]