This study examined the characteristics of those universities from which scientists, working in private industry, procure research information. It assessed these characteristics with respect to institutional size, quality, institutional type, geographic location, and the presence of cooperative research structures. The study involved a citation analysis of articles written by firm-based scientists within the computer equipment and aircraft industries, and associated these findings with the ascriptive characteristics of the universities that were cited. Citations were found for 117 institutions of higher education. The results indicated that several institutional characteristics, including land grant status, average faculty salaries, and scientific research expenditures, were significantly associated with university research production that was of interest to firms active in these industries. Findings also indicated that the region surrounding a university may be a factor in how often the institution's research is employed by industry, urban and suburban universities being cited most often. The results suggest that high quality, well paid faculty with ample resources are most likely to produce scientific research that is later utilized by private firms. It is suggested that these findings have policy implications for industry, federal and state resource providers, and institutional planners. (Contains 42 references.) (GLR)