Elements of sucessful industry/university research collaborations: reaction engineering case studies

We develop the proposition that a fertile ground for successful industry/university research collaborations exists. We have found the elements common to successful collaborations to include: 1) relevance; 2) patience; 3) participation; 4) value; and 5) sharing. Reaction engineering studies often lend themselves to relevant projects. This allows the day-to-day goals and incentives of both the industry and university to be addressed. Project start-up requires patience. The expectations concerning project achievements must be thoroughly discussed and accepted. For example, graduate students are often the driving force behind these projects and their obligations and activities at the university can be very non-linear. Participation of industrial colleagues is perhaps the most crucial aspect of the collaboration. Involvement in formal thesis committees can often be an effective vehicle to this end. Whereas the sponsoring company may often provide funding, it is the duty of the project team (including the industrial technical collaborator!) to return honest value. Finally, the rewards of the activity must be shared. The tangible signs of this will be in joint industry/university publications, patent positions, publication policies, etc. We have found these elements to be central to both individual research projects and research consortia and centers. Our experience with both will be used to develop these concepts.