UIDP Launches Global “Strengthen and Modernize U-I Partnerships” Initiative
Sept. 11, 2024 – UIDP, a global association of leading companies and universities, is launching a year-long effort to directly address the need to strengthen and modernize university-industry partnerships through bold approaches that dramatically increase the impact of collaborative research and innovation. UIDP’s initiative will gather input during listening sessions in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Europe to produce strategic recommendations for collaborative research partnerships—both pragmatic and aspirational—to guide the R&D community going forward.
The program was conceived to address feedback from the UIDP member and nonmember community on the need for new approaches and, more recently, in response to public calls to action. In mid-2024, Marcia McNutt, president of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences, and Dario Gil, senior vice president and director of IBM Research and current chair of the National Science Board, urged stakeholders across the research enterprise to take assertive and creative action to recoup U.S. leadership in science and technology to ensure a robust pipeline of future innovations that benefit society. McNutt specifically articulated the need to strengthen and modernize university-industry (U-I) partnerships as a critical step.
“Organizations across the globe are piloting new approaches to optimize research partnerships, but those efforts need to happen faster and be more broadly adopted,” said Anthony Boccanfuso, UIDP president and CEO. “UIDP sees the need and the opportunity to galvanize a critical mass of stakeholders across sectors—government, academia, industry, nonprofits, and private funders—to lend their expertise and knowledge to this effort.
“Society benefits from innovation, and strengthening and modernizing university-industry collaboration is a critical part of the equation,” he added. “UIDP is the logical leader, convener, and partner for this project, which will identify strategic, tactical, and sector-specific recommendations for evaluation and adoption.”
The resulting body of knowledge will include actionable and diverse recommendations that organizations can consider for adoption. The content will align with these key focus areas:
- Compliance and contracts. Enhancing public trust in science by reducing conflicts of interest and enhancing transparency.
- Infrastructure. Strengthening innovation ecosystems, expanding research capacity, and design and use of shared research space.
- Joint investments and engagement. Coordinating R&D resources for impact across university, industry, government, and nonprofit sectors.
- Talent. Building a future-focused talent pipeline through innovative approaches in preparation and recruitment.
This effort will build a knowledge base that will be publicly available on UIDP’s website for organizations to access and leverage to support their innovation and partnership goals. Key senior leaders will convene in July 2025 to discuss the outcomes and distilled recommendations for future action.
More information about the initiative, as well as an opportunity to contribute ideas, approaches, and case examples, is available on the Strengthen and Modernize U-I Partnerships portal.
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About UIDP
UIDP is a solutions-oriented global forum where academic and industry representatives find better ways to work together. Our membership, comprising top-tier innovation companies and world-class research universities, identifies issues affecting university-industry relations and seeks new approaches to partnership and collaboration. Together, we produce tools and resources to help members make a greater impact. We don’t just talk about problems. We solve them.