Successes, Failures, and Lessons Learned Navigating Industry Supported Research in Academia

Collaborations between academia and industry can be very productive for both sides. The technical contributions of the research, access to new graduates trained in critical areas, and future revenue that can be generated by these partnerships are extremely attractive to industry. The monetary support for research endeavors and direct collaboration with industry researchers to identify science challenges in industry strengthen academic research endeavors. The opportunity to work alongside industry is extremely attractive for students and young scholars, many of whom seek to move into the private sector after graduation. With that come challenges in formalizing partnerships between academia and industry. Ownership of technology, vetting of publications, disparity in timescale expectations, and short term research agreements are only a few examples of pitfalls that can make compelling partnerships perish. In this talk, examples of collaborations between industry and academia from both the industry and academic perspective will be presented, focusing on what went right, what went wrong, and the evolution of a successful framework for these collaborations through these experiences. Identification of roadblocks and strategies for navigating partnerships through to formal research agreements will be presented.