RAPID
CITY, SD (Oct. 22, 2020) —South Dakota Mines has established the Office of Industry Engagement
(OIE) in an effort to bolster existing partnerships and foster new relationships
between industry and the university.
Joseph
Wright, associate
vice president for research and economic development at Mines, directs the new
office and serves as the point of contact for industry representatives. OIE is comprised of eight representatives from
university departments and offices as well as representatives from the Center
for Alumni Relations and Advancement
and Elevate Rapid City,
a public-private
organization focused on economic development.
“South Dakota
Mines has a long history of successful industrial collaboration. The OIE has
been formed to help coordinate and streamline our efforts so that industry
partners can leverage all the resources South Dakota Mines has to assist them
in growing their businesses,” Wright says.
The office connects industry
needs and challenges with opportunities and resources available at South Dakota
Mines. The goal is to build relationships and create projects that benefit both
the university and private industry.
OIE’s model to engage
industry partners has a proven track record. Since 1995, universities in the
United States have formed nearly 11,000 startup companies. In 2015 alone, 879
new products based on university innovations were introduced to the market,
according to the Association of University Technology Managers. Such
partnerships can also help industry fulfill staff training needs.
“Various departments at
South Dakota Mines currently have productive relationships with industry
leaders, including the Mining Department which partners with Caterpillar to
provide continuing education to their employees. The funds generated from this
partnership provide scholarships to students,” says Dr. Jim Rankin, South
Dakota Mines president. “But there are countless more opportunities, from
sponsoring research to recruiting students on campus. This new office serves as
the conduit for making these opportunities happen.”
For universities, industry
partnerships can provide more than funding. In many cases they open the door
for research projects to be tested outside the lab. This allows researchers to
get real-word industry feedback. OIE will also identify areas for growth in such
categories as campus recruiting, student and faculty engagement, and curriculum
and workforce development.
One critical piece of
OIE’s approach will be an online customer relationship management database. The
database will identify potential partnerships, determine potential research
collaboration opportunities, and ensure that industry and university personnel
are knowledgeable about workforce development needs and options.
“We are very excited to
see where this new office takes us,” says Rankin. “We see a real future in
these critical partnerships.”