Industry-Academia Collaborative Projects

What if we stopped treating university-SME collaboration as a “nice to have” and started treating it as economic infrastructure? A new report from CSIRO and the University of Queensland reveals what actually happens when small and medium enterprises (SMEs) work with universities and research institutions (URIs). The results are compelling. Collaborations between SMEs and URIs are widely acknowledged as drivers of innovation. But this report digs deeper, asking: what’s the real commercial payoff for the firms involved? Based on a survey of 201 Australian businesses across diverse sectors and regions, Commercial Outcomes of SME–Research Collaboration analyses three types of engagement: 🔹 Facilitated dollar-matched programmes 🔹Competitive grants 🔹Student placement programmes The findings? 🔹66% of SMEs reported new or improved products—clear evidence that collaboration brings ideas to market. 🔹Prototypes, independent validation, and derisked R&D were common outcomes, especially for early-stage firms. 🔹Facilitated, entry-level collaborations delivered outcomes nearly on par with large, competitive grants—but with smaller budgets and greater accessibility. 🔹Regional SMEs outperformed their metro counterparts across nearly all dimensions, from innovation to credibility to market expansion. Sectoral insights are equally striking: 🔹Medtech and biotech firms focused on R&D derisking; 🔹Manufacturing and digital tech SMEs reported strong product development outcomes; 🔹Energy businesses used partnerships to validate solutions for market credibility. In New Zealand, we often underinvest in the connective tissue that makes innovation happen. This report shows that well-designed, fit-for-purpose collaboration programmes can unlock capability, especially for regional and smaller firms. The message is clear: industry-university collaboration is a catalyst. And in an economy where resilience and diversification are more important than ever, we can’t afford to overlook it. https://lnkd.in/gTHhRiBQ

Two years ago, I moved to Austria with curiosity in my heart and a question in my mind: What if Austrian and Indian universities could do more together? This week, that “what if” felt more real than ever. TU Austria (a network of TU Wien, TU Graz, and Montanuniversität Leoben) this week has launched a powerful initiative with India, supported by €5 million in funding from the Austrian Federal Ministry of Science, Research and Economy. This isn't just another exchange program. It’s a strategic bridge — rooted in academic diplomacy, built on trust and excellence, and aimed at addressing the global challenges of our time: 📌 Circular economy 📌 Climate-neutral technologies 📌 Sustainable infrastructure 📌 AI and digitalization As someone who has worked for a decade at the intersection of academia, innovation, and international collaboration — from Indian universities to top US institutions, and now actively engaging with Austrian universities — I see this as a defining moment. A moment to: 🎯 Co-create joint research labs 🎯 Launch PhD exchange programs with dual supervision 🎯 Design transdisciplinary academic-industry clusters between Austria and India 🎯 Develop curriculum and mobility models for the future of STEM education This is where I’d love to contribute — as a consultant and bridge-builder for universities in both countries. Helping map opportunities, facilitate strategic dialogues, and enable world-class programs that serve both nations — and the planet. 📢 To university leaders, deans, researchers, and innovation offices — let’s talk. Because when two strong academic cultures come together, we don’t just exchange students. We exchange futures. Read more about the initiative: https://lnkd.in/dfvprh4U (English summary also available via TU Austria) #AustriaIndia #AcademicDiplomacy #JointResearch #HigherEducation #CircularEconomy #GlobalCollaboration #TUAustria #InnovationBridges

🔖 Interested in academia-industry collaboration in #edtech? Read this new Commentary by a group of academic researchers collaborating with EdTech companies around the world. While we’ve seen many positive examples, the work hasn’t always been easy. We’ve faced challenges such as: 🔻 Early contract terminations or pressure to reanalyse data when results didn’t show positive impacts expected by the companies 🔻Unequal legal support, with individual researchers at academic institutions lacking the resources available to large corporate legal teams 🔻 Difficulty maintaining fair project timelines, due to ongoing “mission creep” (repeated requests for new revisions beyond what was originally agreed) We advocate for: 🔺 Formalized data-sharing protocols that promote transparency and open science 🔺 Dedicated legal support units for public-private partnerships at universities 🔺A centralized, anonymized data repository to enable more rigorous cross-study analyses. This would strengthen the evidence base not just for individual companies, but for the EdTech field as a whole ✍ Article co-authored with Todd Cherner Adam Dubé Adrian Pasquarella Nicola Pitchford Dr Helen Ross 🙏Thank you Sonia Livingstone Candice Odgers and Amy Orben for starting this important debate and thank you Prof Bernadka Dubicka Editor in Chief Child and Adolescent Mental Health, for facilitating the conversation in the journal! Download from:

Over the past six months, I've noticed a palpable increase in industries/large corporations seeking university collaboration on tech research and innovation. What's driving this? I'll give my Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship @ PES University perspective. But before diving into this, let's start with a tactical view of typical industry-academia engagement: hire university talent through placement. If it goes further, industries interact with colleges to influence curricula. Systemic challenges are well-documented, therefore I won't discuss them here. Tech is undergoing a massive shift. At the risk of employing tired buzzwords, artificial intelligence/machine learning is profoundly affecting the talent development value chain. The unpleasant truth is that we need to go beyond the tried-and-tested formula of a long list of courses and good grades to impress potential employers. Students are expected to showcase the ability to apply knowledge to solve problems creatively, collaborate in-person/remotely, handle ambiguity/uncertainty, and communicate issues/challenges and opportunities. What can universities offer the students for above? Progressive universities offer problem/project-based learning, hackathons, innovation centers, to develop an idea resulting in proof-of-concept/prototype or even a product. Most importantly, the university allows students to experiment without fear of ‘failing’. In a safe environment, students learn that failure is an integral part of developing ideas into new products/offerings. CIE is fortunate to engage with Indian and MNC organizations to develop talent and create innovation that benefits businesses, universities, and society. Since many developing technologies are multidisciplinary this necessitates crossing the usual university ‘department’ boundary lines. It is indeed a blessing that CIE gets to work with several departments in the university across computer science, electronics, mechanical, electrical, and management disciplines. Several companies (Tata Consultancy Services, Renesas Electronics, Siemens and others) visited CIE at PES University this summer to discuss and explore co-creating courses for industry 4.0/5.0, enhancing tech research/innovation, and developing a structured approach to develop and harvest talent for the rapidly changing world. We hope to see an increased momentum of industry-university collaboration and fruitful outcomes from these engagements. Chitra Hariharan Sujatha Mukunthan Praveen Chandran Sridhar K S Jayaram MG Rajesh Banginwar Madhukar Narasimha

Why Indian Industry Complains About Academia — but Rarely Builds With It Indian industry often says: “Graduates aren’t job-ready.” “Research isn’t practical.” “Colleges don’t understand real problems.” Fair complaints. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: industry largely stays outside the system it criticises. Most companies want ready talent, not shared responsibility. They expect universities to magically produce industry-grade thinkers—without: 1. Co-designing problems 2. Sharing live datasets 3. Opening real projects 4. Investing time in mentorship 5. Accepting early-stage failures Academia, on the other hand, is trapped in: Marks, ranks, and compliance Safe research over risky relevance Output metrics over outcome impact Result? 1. Industry talks about academia 2. Academia teaches around industry 3. Students suffer in between Real progress happens only when: 1. Industry builds inside campuses, not just recruits from them 2. Universities act like living labs, not content factories 3. Problems come before syllabi 4. Outcomes matter more than optics Collaboration isn’t CSR. It’s co-creation. Until industry stops standing outside the gate and academia stops guarding it, this gap will remain—and the cost will be paid by the next generation. If you’re serious about building, not blaming, let’s talk. #IndustryAcademiaGap #HigherEducationReform #SkillVsDegree #InnovationEcosystem #StartupIndia #FutureOfWork #ExecutionMatters #CollaborationOverComplaints

🚀 Eli Lilly’s expanded partnership with Purdue University—up to $250M over eight years—is exactly the kind of academia-industry collaboration we need more of, especially in AI-driven pharmaceutical innovation. It's fantastic to see a major commitment to AI-powered drug discovery, personalized treatments, faster regulatory approvals, and scalable, robotics-driven manufacturing. These are precisely the areas where partnerships combining the deep scientific expertise of academia and the focused, goal-oriented approach of industry can be transformative. From personal experience with industry collaborations (including J&J, Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca, Sanofi), I’ve found these partnerships immensely rewarding—not just in terms of innovation and real-world impact, but also the intellectual stimulation that emerges when complementary perspectives align. Yet challenges remain: contracting inefficiencies, complex IP negotiations, and mismatched incentives still often slow these partnerships down. Academia can help by becoming more agile, industry-friendly, and outcome-oriented. Exciting move by Lilly and Purdue—I hope we'll see many more initiatives like this! Link: https://lnkd.in/eZ3P4vgG

Addressed the Confederation of Indian Industry I had the opportunity to address the '#CII India Edge 2025: Policies for Competitive India' alongside NITI Aayog Member Dr. Arvind Virmani, Shri sanjay kumar, Secretary, Department of School Education, Dr. Pankaj Mittal, Secretary General, Association Of Indian Universities, and Dr. Atul Chauhan, President, Amity University. The focus of the panel was '#Education to #Employment: Human Capital for 2047'. A key focus area was the urgent need to scale Academia-Industry Interface and Partnerships. I listed 6 ways for #Universities and #Industry to collaborate for win-win outcomes: 1. Collaborative Academic and Translational #Research - In developed economies, the private sector contributes 65-75% of research investment. In India, industry investment in research is about 35%. #India Inc. can collaborate with leading HEIs for research projects that enrich academia and positively impact industry through products and platforms. Nearly 30% of the US$780 million Institutional Research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2022 was funded by industry and non-profits. 2. #Internships and #Apprenticeships for Students - By 2035, nearly 6 crore students will be pursuing 4-year undergraduate programmes. Presuming that 50% of the 4th year students would opt for internships, industry will need to absorb ~75 lakh students for credit-based internship and apprenticeship embedded degree programmes. 3. #ExecutiveEducation and #Management Development Programmes - Leading global #BSchools attract substantial resources and talent through these programmes. There is a big opportunity for #Indian BSchools to build expertise in these areas to meet industry requirements. 4. Professor of Practice and Adjunct Faculty Roles - Practitioners can bring their experience across #STEM and non-STEM areas into the classroom by committing time and can even co-create courses delivered through industry collaboration to improve students' #skills and employment potential. 5. Mentorship for #Innovation and #Entrepreneurship - Most #colleges and #universities desirous of nurturing a #startup culture need guidance and handholding from industry #leadership for designing #strategy and achieving scale for their ideas. Industry can engage with #incubators and #accelerators in their regions and provide mentorship to students, faculty and scholars in translating ideas to products and ventures. 6. Financial Support - As India's #HigherEducation system grows in size to achieve GER of 50 by 2035, brownfield and greenfield infra expansion would provide industry an opportunity to build world-class institutions through #CSR and philanthropic contributions. Suppliers of talent and users of talent need to work in tandem to co-create world-class #humancapital that can power the #vision of #ViksitBharat @2047. Often, this opportunity is lost in the waiting game of who will take the lead in forging these partnerships. (Views are personal.)

  New-generation Faculty Leaders Aim to Transform Indian Design, Semiconductor, Packaging, and Systems (IDSPS) with Next-Gen R&D and Workforce Initiative. The three-way partnership between Meity, academia, and industry created IDSPS as a national R&D and workforce program with 80 faculty from 30 Institutions and 80 global companies. Together, they made outstanding progress. They are ready to form industry consortiums in 12 industry centers to build the nation, educate 2000 Ph. Ds, 3000 MTech, 3000 BTech, and reeducate 15,000 industry engineers, as described below. 1. System Designs and Architectures by Profs. Kumar (IITJ) & Sharma (IIT Ropar) focuses on high-bandwidth computing, power efficiency, privacy, and security, as well as design for signal, power, EMI, and ESD. 2. CMOS Devices by Profs. Mohapatra (IITGN) & Dixit (IITD) focuses on the next-gen (< 3nm) semiconductor materials, process modeling, and characterization of logic and memory devices. Power Devices by Profs. Akshay K (IIT BBS) & Brag (IITG) focuses on device modeling, simulation and design, substrate and epi growth, device fabrication and characterization.  3. Package Substrates by Profs. Dixit (IITB) &Arora (IITJ) focuses on glass substrates with advances in package design, embedded components, large panel lithography, and polymer-Cu RDL  4. Co-packaged Optics by Profs. Emani (IITH) & Sudharsanan (ITTM) focuses on design of co-packaged optics for higher bandwidth at lower power than electronic packages, photonic interconnections, hybrid bonding assembly, and fiber coupling.  5. Predictive Modeling & Design by Profs. Agarwal (IITGN)& Roy (IITKGP) focuses on AI- assisted design for reliability, multi-physics design, materials, interfaces and stress development.  6. 6G Integrated Systems by Profs. Mandal (IITKGP), Duttagupta (IITB)& Kumar (IITG) focuses on low-loss glass substrates with embedded devices, components, and package-integrated antennas.  7. Integrated Sensors & MEMS by Profs. Mitra (IITD)& KP Rao (BITS) focus on new concepts in inertial sensors, resonators, printed sensors,2D materials, and sensor fusion.  8 Materials for Devices, Components & Packaging by Profs. Bhagwati on non-volatile memory, Kumar(IISc) on package materials & Murali (NIT Calicut) on components.  9. IC and Board Assembly by Profs. Badwe (IITK) & Govind Singh (IITH) focuses on Cu-Cu bonding, sintered Cu die-attach and fiber coupling assembly.  10. Thermal Technologies by Profs. Bhattacharya(IITKGP) &Ambirajan(IISc) focuses on liquid cold plates, 2-phase and boiling heat transfer, and thermal interfaces.  11. Integrated Power Electronics by Profs. Shiladri(ITB) & Yadav(IITR) focuses on integrated power modules with advances in system design, power devices, components, sintered-Cu die attach, and double-side liquid cooling.   12. System Electrical Test by Profs. Tudu (IIT TP) & Ahlawat (IIT Jammu) focuses on test advances in chiplets, 2.5D glass packages, boundary scan, analog and mixed signal.

Industry–academia collaboration is important and recommended - but be aware of conflicts of interest and bias Academia-industry collaboration benefits both sides, and deliver value to the whole society, e.g. by accelerating innovation. Private-public partnerships are essential to tackle with climate change or biodiversity loss. However, collaboration have downsides, which academia should be better aware about, such as conflicts of interest (COI) and bias. These are important considering the role of science and academia in our societies as a reliable source of information without vested interest. Transparency in science-to-policy advice to decision-makers is of outmost importance. Influencing research may not only produce research favorable to industry but may create a distorted picture of the evidence base. Hiltner et al. discuss COI and bias in Wiley WIREs Climate Change by reviewing the influence of fossil fuel industry (FOI) in higher education. Their article was mentioned in Financial Times 5 Sept 2024. They discuss the ties of FOI to universities, which deliberately uses university partnerships to further its own interest, and higher education as an evolving site of organized climate obstructionism. They highlighted new climate denialism, parallels to other industries' influence on research, and lack of university transparency. COI and bias touch ALL industry–academia collaboration. Classical channels of infiltration (NOT meaning that these were the reason for COI & bias) include industry serving in university governing boards, academia serving on industry boards or consulting them, sponsoring of research, buildings named after industry interests, student sponsoring, advising curricula, universities participating in training services for industries, etc. Academic partnerships may also legitimize the industry among academics, policymakers, and the public. Industry-academia collaboration and partnerships are highly relevant in the future.  Simultaneously, increasing industry funding in academia may influence the economic interests in research. Therefore, protecting the integrity of academia is a value in itself. It is obvious that their freedom and independency will rely on being responsible. Measures of relevance could include, e.g. 1. Greater transparency of universities on industry-academia partnerships and funding, in particular on data transparency 2. Universities should disclose publicly their financial and contractual ties with industries 3. Auditing industry-academia partnerships and collaboration and releasing information on these publicly 4. Strengthening the independent funding base of universities. Ref. Hiltner, S., Eaton, E., Healy, N., Scerri, A., Stephens, J. C., & Supran, G. (2024). Fossil fuel industry influence in higher education: A review and a research agenda. WIREs Climate Change, e904. https://lnkd.in/dec37RSy  Svenska tekniska vetenskapsakademien i Finland European University Association Aalto University

𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗣𝗵𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗯𝘆𝘁𝗲𝗫𝗟 — 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗨𝗽 (𝟮/𝟯) 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗰𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗺𝗶𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼𝗴𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿. As we continue to build for the next phase of byteXL, a key focus has been engaging deeply with universities and academic leaders to understand what they truly need — beyond surface-level conversations. Because bridging academia and industry is not just about introducing new courses or technologies. It requires a 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗶𝘁𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗻𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿. Across these conversations, a few realities consistently emerge:  • There is a growing need to 𝗲𝗺𝗯𝗲𝗱 𝗔𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴  • 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗻𝗼 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝘀 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲; it must be built into the learning journey from day one with 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗰𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗶𝗻𝗴 happening on daily basis leading to 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 for every student  • Faculty need 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗼𝘂𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘂𝗽𝘀𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 to stay aligned with industry expectations At the same time, institutions are working at scale - managing large cohorts, ensuring academic rigour, and maintaining consistency across programs. Any meaningful intervention has to 𝗳𝗶𝘁 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺, not operate outside it. This is where the role of a bridge becomes critical. At byteXL, we see our role as enabling this connection in a way that is 𝗽𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹, 𝘀𝗰𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗯𝗼𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲𝘀:  • Bringing 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘆 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺-𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘃𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗿𝗼𝗼𝗺𝘀  • Supporting faculty with 𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴  • Ensuring students gain 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀-𝗼𝗻, 𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻-𝗱𝗿𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗻 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀  • Aligning academic delivery with 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 These insights from working closely with academic leaders continue to shape how we design and evolve our programs, not as overlays, but as 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺. Because the goal is not to change what universities stand for, but to 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗴𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 future. In the next post, I’ll share some reflections from engaging with the 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗲𝗰𝗼𝘀𝘆𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗺 #HigherEducation #IndustryAcademia #FutureOfWork #AIinEducation #SkillingIndia