Establishing productive university/industry relationships

CHAL 10

Brooks A. Keel, bkeel@lsu.edu, Professor of Biological Sciences and Vice Chancellor for Research and Economic Development, Louisiana State University, 110 Thomas Boyd Hall, Baton Rouge, LA 70803
Building successful relationships between industry and universities can be more complicated than simply signing a license agreement. In many cases, establishing these relationships may not concern transferring intellectual property at all, but may instead include “work for hire” and other research sponsored program agreements. These agreements can result in extremely productive collaborations between university faculty and industry scientists and engineers. However, crafting successful collaborative agreements between universities and industry requires an understanding of the nuances of university faculty governance and academic freedom, while at the same time appreciating the business culture of industry. This presentation will explore the subtle (and not so subtle) differences in the business and academic cultures in hopes of helping faculty understand how to best establish productive relationships with their industry colleagues. In addition, this presentation will discuss the potential impact, both positive and negative, of university faculty participating in industry sponsored research in an academic environment.