Difference between revisions of "How to talk to Industry"

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(How to motivate a partnership?)
(How to make contacts?)
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** Size of the company does matter: SME, big companies
 
** Size of the company does matter: SME, big companies
 
** Location of the company does matter: important for sustainable cooperation
 
** Location of the company does matter: important for sustainable cooperation
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* Long process of approaching them
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* Informally at conference, from network events, from personal contacts
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* Social networking
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* Join local IEEE chapters, Informatics societies
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* Have a beer ..
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* Think about who to approach, it is a lot of effort to maintain the relationship
  
 
== How to motivate a partnership? ==
 
== How to motivate a partnership? ==

Revision as of 14:05, 14 July 2011

How to make contacts?

Main idea: Select companies necessary for the project, identify and exploit interests

  • Use existing networks with companies
  • Networking events (like ICT proposer’s days), Workshops/Exhibitions
  • Asking companies for open problems / challenges ?
    • Are companies willing to tell you?
  • Become visible
    • Conferences with industry participation
    • Webpage
    • Be present also in non-scientific media (TV, newspaper)
  • Important issues
    • Concrete vision about what to give/what is required
    • Size of the company does matter: SME, big companies
    • Location of the company does matter: important for sustainable cooperation
  • Long process of approaching them
  • Informally at conference, from network events, from personal contacts
  • Social networking
  • Join local IEEE chapters, Informatics societies
  • Have a beer ..
  • Think about who to approach, it is a lot of effort to maintain the relationship

How to motivate a partnership?

  • Improving their products
  • Testing some novel approaches
  • Use and apply their products – new applications (“killer application”)
  • Benefits of funding itself ( getting money ;-) )
  • Contacts to future personnel
  • Joint publications (?)
  • Free advertisement / being in the media (?)
  • Build up trust via small projects
  • Show maturity of your work
  • Give away master thesis students to company?
  • Give company ~6 months planning time for a joint project

How to communicate with industry partners?

  • Different ways to approach partners providing:
    • Products, services
    • Personnel/knowledge
    • Governmental-near with social interest
  • “Sell” the vision and explain potential outcome
    • Have to identify value for them – possible outcome (profit)
  • Be aware of IPRs and “strategic secrets”
    • Data sets they don’t want to share
    • Classified, crucial information for their business
    • Privacy concerns
  • Be yourself
  • Show abilities / R&D profile
  • Refer to successful projects/cooperations
  • Present best practise / working devices
  • Empower the communication partner to make decisions
  • Find „happy medium“ for level of abstraction