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Engaging with Industry for Impact
UCD's mission is "To create knowledge, to empower learning and to engage with partners to drive impact from education and research." One of the partners we engage with to drive impact is industry.
Industry engagement and collaboration can be key to developing new technologies, products, and services, or to accelerating the uptake of research findings to address pressing societal challenges.
In this section, we share some tips to help you engage with industry to your mutual benefit.
Tips for engaging with industry
These tips are designed to help you increase your engagement with industry and beyond. Multi-sectoral collaboration can significantly enhance the impact of research and improve the chances of securing competitive funding. By aligning academic expertise with industry needs, researchers can contribute to meaningful innovations while advancing their careers and scientific discovery. Many of the tips here are equally applicable to engaging people in other sectors.
Understand Needs and Priorities |
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| Industry operates with different priorities and timeframes compared to academic research. Before approaching a company, research their current challenges, strategic interests, and innovation goals. Tailor your pitch to demonstrate how your research aligns with their needs and can provide value.
To research industry, look at industry reports. UCD Library have a libguide on (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)business databases. You can also access databases, such as the (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Ibis global worldwide database which has a comprehensive database of industries and products, through the library. (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)IDA Ireland has an "explore your sector" section that gives an overview of different sectors in Ireland. You can review small and medium enterprises (SMEs) through the (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)European Innovation Council and SMEs Executive Agency (EISMEA) datahubs. |
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Identify the Right Partners |
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| Seek companies that align with your research expertise and objectives. Use the university network, your professional networks, and Nova UCD to find potential partners. (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Horizon Europe and national funding agencies often provide matchmaking platforms and brokerage events to facilitate connections. Keep up to date by (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)signing up for newsletters in your target Horizon Europe Cluster. (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Enterprise Ireland has a range of supports to help researchers collaborate with industry.
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Engage Early and Build Relationships |
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| Successful partnerships take time to develop (see connecting with partners). Engage with industry partners well before submitting a grant proposal. Often, successful collaborations initiate engagement 6-12 months or more in advance of a funding call. Establishing trust and understanding industry expectations early can help shape a stronger, more competitive funding application. Consider inviting leaders in your target industry in to give guest lectures. This can be a great way to start relationships. It allows you to tease out common interests and build the professional relationship without committing to a longer-term partnership. |
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Communicate in Industry-Friendly Language |
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| Avoid technical jargon and academic complexity when discussing your research with industry partners. Clearly articulate the problem your research addresses, the potential impact, and how collaboration can provide mutual benefits. (opens in a new window)(opens in a new window)Ula La Paris gives great tips on the language gap between business and academia, including examples of what words to avoid and phrases to use. She also explains the difference in goals between academia and business, and how to reframe your experience in the language of business.
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Highlight Mutual Benefits |
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| Industry collaborations should be mutually beneficial. Emphasize potential business advantages, such as new product development, process improvements, or regulatory compliance solutions, while also demonstrating the societal and academic benefits of your research. Think about what benefit the collaboration will bring to you; but also what it will bring to the company? Will they have access to highly skilled graduates? Will the research allow innovation or testing they can't prioritise themselves? Will they be able to reduce risks in testing new ideas or technologies through publicly funded projects? Will they be able to test new technological equipment used by the HEIs and see if it’s worth investing in it? Read these examples of research: industry success stories. |
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Address Intellectual Property (IP) and Commercialization |
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| Clearly define IP ownership, licensing rights, and commercialization strategies at the outset of collaboration. Transparency about these expectations at the beginning of a partnership can greatly expedite contracts and negotiation downstream.
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Be Flexible and Adaptable |
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| Industry projects may have different ways of working compared to purely academic projects. Be prepared to be adaptive and open to refining research objectives to align with industry timelines, regulatory considerations, and market demands. Demonstrating this type of agile flexibility can foster long-term collaboration. A study by the (opens in a new window)Hublinked knowledge alliance compared academia and industry in defining successful collaborations. Academics' most important indicator of success was the mutual satisfaction of the parties involved in the collaboration. However, industry considered meeting the project objectives as the most important factor. Thus, it is important to clearly define what your industry partners need and understand what you
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Leverage Funding and Support Mechanisms |
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| Many funding schemes encourage and financially support academic-industry collaboration. Identify relevant calls that align with your research and industry’s interests. (opens in a new window)European Commission funding: Horizon Europe funding including European Innovation Council (EIC) which has specific early phase ((opens in a new window)Pathfinder) and validation to spin out ((opens in a new window)Transition) funding; EU4Health; and LIFE Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation. (opens in a new window)Research Ireland: Including enterprise partnership schemes; US-Ireland R&D Partnership Programme; Strategic Partnership Programme; andInnovate for Ireland PhD Programme (opens in a new window)Enterprise Ireland: Innovation vouchers for industry to collaborate with universities; Innovation Partnership Programme for industry from certain sectors to work with researchers; and Disruptive Technologies Innovation Fund (DTIF) for challenge-based research.
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Case Studies
Industry-academia co-creation for knowledge valorisation
Engaging with industry effectively can enhance research impact, open new avenues for funding, and increase career opportunities. The European Commission has a (opens in a new window)Code of Practice on industry-academia co-creation for knowledge valorisation we recommend you review.
“To develop new technologies, products and services in Europe and to ensure that innovative solutions are taken up, academia and industry must work closely together. This code of practice, developed with stakeholders, will be a valuable tool for bridging the gap between the lab and the market and for boosting knowledge valorisation."
Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth
The Code highlights aspects including creating an enabling environment for industry-academia co-creation:
- Strategy, awareness raising and incentives
- Skills development and lifelong learning
- Networking and communication
Managing industry-academia cocreation for effective knowledge valorisation
- Conditions for successful partnerships
- Involving intermediaries
- Strengthening the valorisation of industry-academia co-creation outcomes
- Assessing outcomes, value created and impact
Key Contacts
- Engaged Research Manager: (opens in a new window)Dr Emma Dorris
- Research Partners Team:
- Transforming Through Digital Technology: (opens in a new window)Kevin Murphy
- Building a Healthy World: (opens in a new window)Dr Loraine Smith
- Empowering Humanity: (opens in a new window)Justin Synnott
- Creating a Sustainable Global Society: (opens in a new window)Sinéad McGinley
- Research Centres: (opens in a new window)Lisa McNicholas