BRIDGING THE ACADEMIC – INDUSTRY DIVIDE

UMass Lowell has long history of developing partnerships with industry both locally and nationally. The underlying philosophy of these relationships is that a partnership is a “two way street”. The College of Engineering at UMass Lowell, particularly the Department of Plastics Engineering, has been a leader in establishing strong ties with industry for more than fifty years. For its part, the department provides engineering graduates and cutting edge research that ensures corporations have a skilled workforce and new products to meet tomorrow’s needs. From their end, corporations provide equipment, scholarship support, advice, industry speakers, plant tours and similar support in recognition that in so doing they have an impact on the quality of graduates and researchers that will be available to them in the future. A true partnership is indeed a two way street that requires regular interaction between the parties to ensure mutual goals are met and a healthy relationship is developed and continually nurtured. In addition to providing both workforce and research capabilities, universities such as UMass Lowell offer access to commercially valuable technologies through the Office of Commercial Ventures and Intellectual Property. Examples of the benefits to both the university and corporations from such licensing arrangements will be provided.