I'm all for partnering. It's vital for EVERYONE, as no one (or company) has the ability to know everything about everything. You should however have a general understanding about the areas in whch your partners are working to protect your own intrests.
It's a different way of thinking. You can call it off loading, partnering, dependency whatever. At the end of the day, it's about you/your institution doing what it's good at, and not trying to "do it all".