In 2002 University West received a specific mission from the Swedish government to develop Work-integrated learning (WIL), but already in 1990 the University Board of Directors branded the university “as the first and only WIL educational and research institution of higher education in Sweden” (Piperet al., 2023). Since 2020 University West also offers a PhD program in WIL with the aim to enhance learning in the workplace (University West, 2023). However, WIL was a track within previous PhD programs at University West. These actions are likely to impact the research outcomes of the university, but it is unknown to what extent this has happened especially in comparison to other universities in Sweden. Governmental funding can have a powerful impact on institutional behavior (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, 2020), which likely also influences individual researchers’ actions. In addition, organizational strategies of universities can also influence academic research collaboration (Kienast, 2023). Therefore, it is likely that the specific national mission and University West’s strategy concerning WIL has had traceable effects in research publications, however the bibliometric level of impact is unexplored.