Pitch Perfect: Presenting to Industry Research Sponsors
A workshop curriculum on faculty presentations and pitches to prospective industry sponsors.
A UIDP developed and vetted curriculum delivered by a UI Collab expert. Prepare university researchers for their initial elevator pitch and subsequent introductory presentation to a company representative who may consider funding their research. The curriculum guide is designed for entry- and mid-level faculty and university researchers and provides a baseline understanding of the following:
- industry versus government funding,
- general presentation guidance,
- recommendations specific to giving an initial presentation to a prospective industry partner, and
- the basics of delivering an elevator pitch.
Corporate engagement offices or the office of the vice president of research at UIDP member universities can use the script and slides included on the member page. Anyone (member or not) can also hire an industry representative to deliver the workshop and enhance it with stories of their own experiences.
To hire an industry presenter to deliver this workshop and meet one-on-one with faculty, please contact UI Collab at info@ui-collab.com.
Curriculum Highlights
- About working with industry
- Presentation Best Practices
- Presenting to Industry
- Elevator Pitch
UI Collab facilitators will share examples of how corporate research needs are identified and communicated to industry, how company priorities are communicated to faculty, which questions to ask to better understand what a company or specific business unit is looking for, and stories about the outcomes of successful and unsuccessful presentations and pitches to industry.
Related UIDP Resources
These resources were referenced in the development of the Perfect Pitch curriculum. These resources can be useful for on-boarding employees who will manage university-industry partnerships. They can also be shared with researchers for later reference. (All researchers at UIDP member organizations can register for a login to uidp.org to access these resources.)
Insights for Researchers UIDP’s Insights for Researchers are intended for researchers seeking to learn more about how to take part in university-industry partnerships and the important role they play within these partnerships. Nearly 20 resources, both print and audiovisual, are excerpted to help researchers understand the points of view of their university and industry counterparts as well as the key considerations for building strong, successful cross-sector collaborations.
Video: Five Ways to Nail Industry Presentations This 2-minute video leverages humor and industry insight to highlight the potential pitfalls and positive practices for maximizing presentations to industry. The Perfect Pitch curriculum expands on the five key insights from this video; (1) Due diligence before the meeting, (2) Start by asking their wants/needs, do not tell yours, (3) Provide a brief overview, not an academic presentation, (4) Prepare non-confidential information, (5) Follow-up.
UIDP Perspectives: Why Work Together A brief primer on the reasons why companies and universities work together, especially on research and innovation.
UIDP Perspectives: NDA/CDA 101 The introductory information provided in this document is intended to be shared with academic and industry researchers who may not know when an NDA is necessary or what type of information may need to be protected by a confidentiality agreement. Guidance for a more advanced audience on strategies for the management of confidential information is also available.
Comparing Internal Structures A guide for understanding how companies and universities are structured to work together including common approaches, roles, and responsibilities. One section provides a generalized process that companies use when evaluating their research needs and how a university researcher may support those needs. The industry process from Comparing Internal Structures is included in the Perfect Pitch curriculum.