Yes academics and professional business people collaborate all the time on research. Their works are often published in gateway periodicals known as trade or industry magazines. These periodicals reduce the scientific jargon to layperson language, while at the same time addressing main theories with simplistic approaches.  

Christine Elizabeth Welch:

To approach effective communication option is to explore the current tools available for collaborative networking, which need to be involved from the early stages of project planning, initiatives and solutions involving stakeholders in the areas of businesses, companies and decision makers, only then can enhance the legitimacy and quality of the processes of decision-making, especially under conditions of uncertainty, defining from the beginning the roles to be played by scientists, entrepreneurs and decision making. Undoubtedly a challenge effective communication. In Cuba we are proposing and developing a collaborative virtual system to facilitate management of data, info and knowledge of environmental projects that we also have the challenge from the early stages involve all stakeholders. Among the difficulties we have encountered is the difference between culture and management processes of information and knowledge between academics, businessmen and decision makers. Finally I suggest that you check the items attached. Best Regard.

http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.4720.7845

http://dx.doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.1.2267.6644

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0016328709001852

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212567115001501

Thank you Armando. I think your project is very different from ours but I will study the material you propose  with interest. I would like to hear more about your project as it progresses.

kind regards

I am not sure if this reply comes in time to really help. I am on the exact opposite side, 30 years in business (after higher education), now back to university. My research project is in collaboration with business professionals. I would have been unable to perform it so far without knowing business background (language and drivers / priorities) and the academic language and methods on the other side. It does help to know the behavior of the other side of the table - and unfortunately this is tacit or even implicit knowledge, at least I would not be able to explain what tangible indicators to look out for to identify misunderstandings.