ILMA Compoundings - August 2019 - 14

INDUSTRY RUNDOWN

Fast-Track Innovation
Through University
Partnerships

"The world is changing quickly. The opportunities for
tribology are increasing. Industry needs innovation from
you, but we need you to go faster."
That was the challenge Jeff Hemphill, chief technical officer for Schaeffler Americas, presented to the audience at the
Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers (STLE)
74th Annual Meeting and Exhibition held this past spring.
University partnerships are one way manufacturers that
lack basic and applied research resources can accelerate innovation. Schools often strapped for research funding welcome
the money manufacturers can contribute.
Robert Jackson, Ph.D., professor and director of the
tribology minor program at Auburn University, points
to Germany's structured program, which creates strong
ties between industry and academia, as a guide for similar
programs here in the U.S.
Jackson is a passionate advocate for collaboration and feels
that not only will it result in interest in the field of tribology
for students, but also that more cooperation between industry and academia would fuel that acceleration in innovation
that Hemphill was seeking.
Jackson's advice for reaching out and establishing a relationship with universities: "Don't be shy."
Many engineering schools will have a tribology researcher,
so he suggests starting there. Look at the professor's website
to see if his or her area of research matches up to what you
are hoping to accomplish. Another way to meet potential

AUGUST 2019

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partners is at a conference like the STLE Annual Meeting
or one of ILMA's many events. Lastly, Jackson suggested
searching Google Scholar to find appropriate researchers.
Once you've agreed on a project and negotiated the terms,
the professor will then assign a graduate research assistant.
Keep in mind that most projects start at the beginning of a
semester and can take anywhere from two years to four years
to complete, so do not put off your conversation until you
have an immediate need.
Kenneth Lutchen, Ph.D., dean of the College of Engineering and professor of biomedical engineering at Boston
University, said what companies need to understand is that
the mission of the university - and therefore the faculty
- is to advance, through research, new knowledge. That
research might result in a product sometime in the future,
but that is typically not the researcher's primary initial goal.
That said, Lutchen explains that you will come across
some faculty who are more entrepreneurial than others.
However, no one will want to be involved in a situation
where their research results in a potentially exciting new
invention without having the rights to it.
"A company needs to realize that the university is not there as
a potential source of intellectual firepower for them to interact
with without any benefit to the university itself," Lutchen said.
Once you've established that relationship, Lutchen says,
should you find yourself in need of similar expertise in
the future, you will have a solid connection to a potential
collaborator at the university. Because you've previously
worked out institutionally acceptable approaches for those
research interactions, the faculty and companies won't have
to start from scratch, and the project or future projects can
get moving faster and without a squeak.
Join Dr. Robert Jackson at Auburn University's 7th Annual
Tribology Symposium and Career Fair, Sept. 5, 2019.
eng.auburn.edu/tribology

http://eng.auburn.edu/tribology http://www.ILMA.ORG

ILMA Compoundings - August 2019

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