ISR partnerships with industry and government

ISR's strategy for partnerships with external organizations is to seek mutual benefit and work on topics that are of strategic priority to both parties. While ISR presently works with approximately 35 companies on a variety of topics, it emphasizes deep, broad partnerships with a select set of companies well aligned with ISR to benefit from highly cross-disciplinary, systems-oriented R&D. ISR supports this strategy by employing a process of understanding the customer, getting the right people together to define the partnership, and selecting the best business vehicle to implement the partnership.

In addition to this process, ISR’s structure is designed to establish partnerships. ISR’s external relations unit, whose director is dedicated to building relationships, provides a “one stop shopping” service for both the company and ISR faculty. The director works across several domains (technical, legal, and business) and involves the appropriate faculty, university administration and legal staff, and external organization technical staff and management as needed to help form the partnership.

ISR has developed a suite of business vehicles (see the list at right) to apply as each partnership warrants. While some of these are traditional university vehicles (such as teaming with companies to win agency programs and sponsored research), we have developed our own as well (such as our Strategic Partners and Visiting Scholars programs).

Success is based upon building relationships: it is important to know your partner. Our external relations unit does much to catalyze and facilitate partnerships. In addition, there must be interesting problems for the faculty that also meet a need and add value to the company; flexibility by both the company (researcher can help) and the university, within their own constraints, plus reasonableness and fairness during the business agreement negotiation; and win-win situations.

For more information, contact Jeff Coriale, 301-405-6604.