U-I Engagement Outside Major Metro Areas
Identifying Xurban Engagement Barriers and Finding Solutions
Relationships between universities and industry partners in metropolitan areas are stellar examples of robust innovation ecosystems that foster collaboration and accelerate innovation. Numerous research-intensive universities are located outside metropolitan areas, however, and many struggle to create equivalent ecosystems with their industry partners. Engagement between these institutions and industry is of equal importance as their metropolitan counterparts, as their economic, educational, and social impacts in local communities and states are especially pronounced.
The Toolkit for Action: U-I Engagement Outside Major Metro Areas was created to assist universities that seek to strengthen ties with industry while catalyzing innovation ecosystems that support these communities. It includes the workshop report and focused tools for each issue area. Please download and share these free resources.
UIDP seeks to make this toolkit an ever-green resource, adding elements as new issues and solutions are identified. Each tool outlines features, takeaways for success, and resources required to implement solutions pertaining to a specific topic. The initial tools were created as a result of the May 2019 workshop that was hosted by the University of Arkansas, “University-Industry Engagement Outside Major Metropolitan Areas and Megacities: Identifying Issues and Finding Solutions.”
Two new tools, “Multiplier Effects: Designing Transformational University-Industry Collaborative Centers” and “Inclusive Recognition of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Impact by Faculty,” were added in conjunction with the June 2022 UIDP Xurban workshop held at Cornell University.
Toolkit for Action: U-I Engagement Outside Major Metro Areas
| Topic | Author(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| Inclusive Recognition of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Impact by Faculty | Rich Carter, Professor of Chemistry and Faculty Lead for Innovation Excellence, Oregon State University |  |
| Multiplier Effects: Designing Transformational University-Industry Collaborative Centers | Patricia Bou, Principal, Education Practice Co-Director CannonDesign; Chris Lambert, SVP, Strategy Consulting Co-Lead; Blue Cottage of CannonDesign |  |
| Report | NSF Workshop on University-Industry Engagement Outside Major Metropolitan Areas And Megacities: Identifying Issues And Finding Solutions | Cynthia Sides, University of Arkansas; Julie Moody, University of Arkansas; and Julie Preddy, University of Arkansas | https://uidp.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/U-I-Engagement-Outside-Major-Metropolitan-Areas-and-Megacities-Identifying-Issues-and-Finding-Solutions.pdf |
| Catalyzing University-Industry Collaborations Through Strategic Facility Construction and Design | Patricia Bou, Principal, CannonDesign; and Stephen Blair, Director, Science & Technology Practice, CannonDesign |  |
| Communication Strategies | Laura Schoppe, President and Founder, Fuentek |  |
| Entrepreneurship and University Start-Ups | Javier Reyes, Vice President for Start-up West Virginia; and John Chambers, College of Business and Economics, Dean, West Virginia University |  |
| Industry Visits to Universities Outside Major Metros | Jackie Serviss, Manager, Corporate Research Partnerships, University of Waterloo |  |
| Maximizing Impact in the Face of Resource Scarcity | Jim Baker, Associate Vice President for Research Administration, Michigan Technological University, and Terri Goss Kinzy, Vice President for Research, Western Michigan University |  |
| Promotion of Local Economic Development | Joe Shields, Vice President for Research and Creative Activity, Ohio University |  |
| Structuring to Maximize External Engagement | Jeff Fortin, Ph.D., Associate Vice President for Research, Director, Office of Industrial Partnerships, Pennsylvania State University |  |
| The Rise of the Rest: Creating Vibrant Innovation Ecosystems Outside of Major Metro Areas Through Research Parks and Innovation Districts | Brian Darmody, Chief Executive Officer, Association of University Research Parks (AURP), and Laura Frerichs, Research Park Director and Director of Economic Development, University of Illinois |  |
| Using Research Data to Enhance University-Industry Collaborations | Daniel Calto, Director of Solution Services, Elsevier |  |
| Xurban Cornell 2022 Report | Summaries of presentations from the UIDP event at Cornell University |  |
Background
On May 21-23, 2019, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the University of Arkansas and UIDP convened 121 university, industry, and government corporate engagement and economic development practitioners for a workshop to identify best practices and solutions related to six major challenge areas for universities in non-metro areas:
- leveraging and enhancing university research strengths
- managing strategic partnerships
- accelerating university research translation and commercialization
- talent connections
- placemaking, and
- advancing local economic development.
Access Arkansas workshop presentation materials here.
The workshop, a report of proceedings, and elements for this toolkit were funded by Award #1748686 from the National Science Foundation to the University of Arkansas, with UIDP as subgrantee.
