Establishing University-Industry Partnerships Workshop Sign-Up
On May 12 and 13, 2026, TCO will be hosting an interactive, informative, and educational workshop on Developing External Partnerships. This workshop is part of GVSU’s NSF EPIIC (Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity) award and includes a $500 participation stipend. The workshop will focus on the Why, the What and the How of establishing valuable partnerships to advance faculty research, scholarship, and student engagement.
Topics will include identifying value for the academic and community partners, exploring the spectrum of collaborative activities that are possible, and reviewing approaches for engaging the partner - and GVSU support services – to best move forward in developing transformative relationships. Throughout the workshop, participants will apply the presented concepts and strategies to the conception and planning of real partnership opportunities they can pursue in the near term.
In addition, panel discussions and guest speakers will highlight university policies for developing partnerships and share experiences, benefits, and challenges of collaborative activities. Workshop instruction will be provided by Dr. Christopher Kitts, William and Janice Terry Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Santa Clara University. Dr. Kitts is the Director of the School’s Robotic Systems Laboratory which engages numerous external partners in government, industry and the non-profit sector, and field work ranges from developing/operating underwater vehicles to controlling a line of NASA spacecraft; these partnerships have led to more than $20M in external funding over the past two decades. Prior to joining Santa Clara University, Dr. Kitts held positions as a systems engineer and AI developer at NASA Ames Research Center, and as a satellite constellation mission controller while in the US Air Force. He holds degrees from Princeton University, the University of Colorado, and Stanford University.
Tuesday, May 12, 2026, 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Bike Factory; City Campus (BIK) 230
Wednesday, May 13, 2026, 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM
Bike Factory; City Campus (BIK) 230
* denotes a required field