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K-State Today

February 16, 2016

Made-to-order workshops for corporate engagement

Submitted by Sarah Hancock

WWIndustry

Last year faculty and staff had the opportunity to participate in a Working with Industry Boot Camp to learn how to establish and develop mutually beneficial corporate partnerships to help meet K-State 2025 goals. The semesterlong series was developed by a working group with representatives from the Office of the Vice President for Research — including Corporate Engagement, PreAward Services, and the Office of Research and Sponsored Programs — along with the KSU Foundation, the K-State Institute for Commercialization and the K-State Research Foundation.

This year, our cast of experts will bring individual workshops to your department on demand.

A new Working With Industry Menu details available workshop topics, which include a basic introduction, promoting research expertise, managing corporate relationships, budgeting, intellectual property, technology transfer and more. Individual workshops are customizable and can last from 45 minutes to two hours or more. Departments or faculty groups can request workshops by completing the web form below the menu.

Richard Potter, director of corporate engagement, said the planning committee recognized the need for a more rapid-fire format tailored to specific needs.

"The initial Working With Industry Boot Camp was geared toward faculty who are less experienced in corporate engagement, but we recognize that one size does not fit all," Potter said. "By working with department heads and faculty leaders to customize each workshop, we hope to better serve the university community."

Last year faculty learned about the life cycle of industry-sponsored research, from finding a partner to developing and managing outputs. The boot camp videos and materials remain available online.

"Participants in last year's boot camp gained a better understanding of what industry collaborations might look like, but by offering these workshops on a department level, we are more able to address discipline-specific situations," said Paul Lowe, associate vice president for research and director of PreAward Services. "Our planning committee will work with department heads and faculty leaders to take that into account."

Please contact Richard Potter with questions at 785-532-1840 or rmpotter@k-state.edu.