Bridging the industry-university divide pays off for mission-driven institutions
New Catalyzing Collaboration report highlights US and Canadian success stories in an information age
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A new report published by Symplectic is a blueprint for leveraging universities’ research expertise and facilities to support industry needs.
view moreCredit: Symplectic / Digital Science
A new report lays out a blueprint for success for universities and industry partners alike, with a focus on leveraging universities’ research expertise and facilities to support industry needs.
The report – Catalyzing Collaboration: How Research Information Management Systems Drive Academic-Industry Partnerships – has been published today by Symplectic, a trusted provider of information management solutions.
Using case studies from the University of Toronto and the Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), the report explores how advanced research information management systems can:
- enhance the discoverability of research expertise and facilities
- foster industry partnerships
- drive meaningful collaborations both internally and externally
- increase their positive impact on the economy and society.
The University of Toronto’s DiscoverResearch portal and the Ohio Innovation Exchange utilize Symplectic Elements to showcase their research expertise and assets. The report outlines how both platforms are successfully transforming the way industry partners engage with academic expertise.
In the report, Derek Newton, Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto, says: “Where companies have a challenge, they have a topic, their next step is: how do they identify the right people? That’s where DiscoverResearch comes in.
“DiscoverResearch is a really amazing new tool that helps industry navigate this very big institution – there are over 16,500 affiliated researchers, across multiple domains, and it allows a visitor to find all those types of researchers and to reach out.”
In the report, Jeff Agnoli, Senior Liaison, Corporate Partnerships, Ohio Innovation Exchange, speaks of the benefits for industry and local economies: “We leverage Elements’ ability to list affiliated faculty on each record so our industry partners can quickly identify potential collaborators’ profiles; recently we added a new category so that we can list certificate programs for employers interested in upskilling their workforce. This full catalog is incredibly impactful to current/potential industry partners, new faculty, as well as those we are trying to recruit.”
Digital Science’s Executive Vice President of Academic Markets, Jonathan Breeze, says: “Industry-university collaborations offer a huge range of benefits for both parties, including de-risking investment in future research. As highlighted by our latest report, the challenge of finding appropriate partners is also a shared problem and it’s great to see how Digital Science technology is helping form new connections that deliver real-world impact.”
The report contains details about:
- industry-academic collaboration
- the growing role of tech transfer
- how to enable connection and collaboration
- maximizing value from university assets and equipment
- training researchers to meet industry standards and needs
- the digital infrastructure underpinning success at the University of Toronto and the Ohio Innovation Exchange
The report concludes: “Looking to the future, the institutions that embrace these strategies will not only secure greater funding and partnership opportunities but will also create a lasting legacy of research impact, helping to foster economic growth, address global challenges, and support research excellence.”
Download a copy of the Catalyzing Collaboration report
About Symplectic
Symplectic works in pursuit of the advancement of knowledge, delivering flexible information management solutions that help universities, institutions and funders achieve their research goals.
Symplectic Elements is a highly configurable platform which ingests data from multiple sources to build a truly comprehensive picture of scholarly data and activities. With over 20 years’ experience and 130 clients, Symplectic Elements is trusted by universities, institutions and research organizations around the world.
About Digital Science
Digital Science is an AI-focused technology company providing innovative solutions to complex challenges faced by researchers, universities, funders, industry and publishers. We work in partnership to advance global research for the benefit of society. Through our brands – Altmetric, Dimensions, Figshare, IFI CLAIMS Patent Services, metaphacts, OntoChem, Overleaf, ReadCube, Scismic, Symplectic, and Writefull – we believe when we solve problems together, we drive progress for all. Visit www.digital-science.com and follow @digitalsci on X or on LinkedIn.
UC3M participates in a research project on biocomposites that transform key industrial sectors
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (UC3M) is participating in a European research project, called BIOntier, which is developing more sustainable materials than conventional ones, known as biocomposites, for industrial sectors such as the automotive, aeronautics, energy storage and water treatment industries.
“The materials we develop are not only more environmentally friendly, but also provide advanced technological solutions for the industries that use them,” explains Álvaro Vaz-Romero, head of the project at UC3M, a researcher in the Lightweight Structures Dynamics Group, which belongs to the University's Department of Continuum Mechanics and Structural Analysis. Their characteristics, lightness, recyclability, durability when receiving impacts or resisting high temperatures offer thermal, mechanical and chemical properties that position them as a sustainable alternative to conventional materials, according to the researchers.
Biocomposites developed by BIOntier cover applications as diverse as vehicle components, battery casings and dashboard panels, aeronautical structures and industrial equipment adapted to the thermal and mechanical demands of the industry. They are also used as structural impact absorbers designed to improve collision safety, low-pressure hydrogen storage tanks and high-pressure tanks designed to increase the durability of purification systems.
Towards a greener and more competitive industry
UC3M is participating in the project as leader of a work package focused on the experimental characterisation of these materials. This includes the design of tests to analyse the performance of the biocomposites under different loading conditions and working environments, as well as numerical simulation based on the data obtained in the tests. ‘Our laboratory performs part of these tests, combining experimental analysis and computational simulations to provide a complete picture of the behaviour of these materials,’ Alvaro explains.
All these experiments aim to improve both the synthesis and stability of biocomposites, while reducing their ecological footprint. ‘This is in line with the objectives of the circular bioeconomy, promoting sustainable materials that can compete in the global market, facilitating their integration into existing industrial products,’ concludes Álvaro.
The BIOntier project (Breaking Frontiers in sustainable and circular biocomposites with high performance for multi-sector applications), coordinated by the FORTH research centre in Greece and with funding of more than EUR 7 million (GA 101155925), brings together 25 partners including universities, research centres, SMEs and large companies from 12 countries.
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