(229a) Why University-Industry Partnerships Matter

Increasing attention is being paid to university-industry research partnerships since they are perceived to be critical to advancing the discovery to innovation process and competitiveness.

While several advantages of these type of collaborations are generally agreed upon, there are numerous challenges and barriers and this session will discuss a number of topics:

* The advantages of engaging in university-industry partnerships

* The challenges faced in developing effective collaborations

* The various perspectives of companies, universities and the faculty and industry scientists and engineers who pursue these type of partnerships

* Suggestions for identifying appropriate partners

* The impact of government agencies (state and federal) and foundations on these partnerships.

and finally, an update on the activities of the National Academies' University-Industry Demonstration Partnership and the projects being pursued to achieve its mission.