SLIDE 1 ADVANCED MATERIALS & MANUFACTURING: Value and Challenges in Multi-campus University/Industry Connectivity (Collaboration)
College of Engineering & Applied Science
Milwaukee Engineering Research Conference MERC 2019
Moderated by: Nidal Abu-Zahra, PhD Chair, Materials Science and Engineering Department, UW-Milwaukee Panelists
- Doug Dunham, PhD Director, Materials Science & Engineering Center, UW Eau-Claire
- Joe Hamann, PhD Director, Advanced Engineering at Rexnord Corporation
- Jessica Silvaggi, PhD Director of Technology Commercialization, UWM Research Foundation
- Konstantin Sobolev, PhD Professor, Civil & Environmental Engineering
SLIDE 2 College of Engineering & Applied Science
- What constitutes a “successful” industry/university
partnership: metrics and values
- Benefits and challenges in strategic partnerships
- Multi-campus university/industry connectivity – potentials
and challenges
- Lessons learned in Wisconsin
Discussion Topics
SLIDE 3 College of Engineering & Applied Science
Acq cquisi sition of IP IPs
Incr creasi sing tech chnica cal awareness ss in R&D To acce ccelerate or improve ve exi xist sting rese search ch Public c image in the so soci ciety Improvi ving ski skills s
yees Improve ve profitability Acce ccess ss to highly y ski skilled rese search chers Acce ccess ss to new tech chnologies s for a co competitive ve adva vantage Acce ccess ss to the unive versi sity y physi ysica cal faci cilities Acce ccess ss to gove vernment funding Creating a cu culture of innova vation Ability y to recr cruit talented st students Tax x cr credits
Industry
SLIDE 4 College of Engineering & Applied Science
University
Budget Supplement Recruitment
staff and students Updated technical knowledge University Ranking Access to industrial information Access to networks
creation and utilization Access to government funding IP royalty Fulfills mission of positive impact on society Integration into labor market Creating entrepreneurial culture
SLIDE 5
College of Engineering & Applied Science
Researcher
Career development Access to Resources Skilled students Financial rewards Practical knowledge Research funding Practical applications IP shares Sense of accomplishment
SLIDE 6 College of Engineering & Applied Science
Researcher Industry University Entrepreneurs
SLIDE 7
College of Engineering & Applied Science
SLIDE 8
College of Engineering & Applied Science
v Difficult to identify academic research that can be developed into commercial products. Most research papers do not highlight the potential for commercial applications of their findings. Communication Gap
SLIDE 9 College of Engineering & Applied Science
v Communalism – Public knowledge Culture of The University Culture of Industry v Proprietary – as little as necessary is made public
The difference between academic and industrial science, Dr. Shawn Cunningham, 2011
v Skepticism – requires critical scrutiny, debate, peer review and contradiction v Disinterestedness – neutral and impersonal judgement v Originality – new contributions to existing knowledge v Universalism – scientific findings are evaluated objectively regardless of ranks or status v Authoritarian – acting within a hierarchy in the workplace v Local – focused on local technical problems v Expert – expert problem solving rather than creativity v Commissioned – to achieve specific practical goals (ROI)
Cultural Gap
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College of Engineering & Applied Science
v Mostly transactional relationships not strategic; sometimes limited partnership with individual faculty on an as-needed basis. Lack of Long-Term Relationships Uncertainty in Relationships = Uncertainty in ROI
SLIDE 11
College of Engineering & Applied Science
Companies who view one another as competitors within an industry, rather than collaborators working on a national interest, are reluctant to cooperate to solve common manufacturing problems
Reluctance to Collaborate between Industry Partners
Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI)
SLIDE 12 College of Engineering & Applied Science
Absorptive Capacity Ability of businesses to recognize the value of new external knowledge, assimilate it and apply it to commercial ends.
EXPLOITATION AWARENESS AQUISITION TRANSFORMATION ASSIMILATION
Potential Realized receptiveness to external knowledge capacity to exploit the knowledge absorbed Absorptive Capacity
UK National Centre for Universities and Business, “Best practice strategies for successful innovation through university-Business collaboration” Dec. 2013.
SLIDE 13
MR Shop floors “Mixed Reality”
Deloitte University Press Tech Trends 2017 The kinetic enterprise
Skill Gaps
SLIDE 14
College of Engineering & Applied Science
In the US, contributions by the private sector account for less than 5% of university R&D budgets
