(368a) Industry Perspective On Sponsored Research

Many factors contribute to a successful sponsored research collaboration among industry, government and universities. A few critical issues get in the way. The conflicting views, interests, and policies across the various participants, including the university technology transfer offices, the sponsoring company, the governmental organizations, and the individual professor, regarding rights to inventions are sources of constant friction that significantly limits industry's willingness to sponsor university research. The Dow Chemical Company has more than twenty years of experience in centrally coordinating a wide variety of successful research collaborations, both in the U.S. and abroad. This presentation will give an industry perspective on these issues in the hope that a better understanding of the needs and drivers in the mature manufacturing industries will lead to more flexibility among the various stakeholders.