Previously published on the CRA-Industry blog on April 22, 2025. 
The Computing Research Association (CRA) has released a new whitepaper, Industry Engagement in Academic Research — a joint effort of two of its programmatic committees, CRA-Industry (CRA-I) and the Computing Community Consortium (CCC).
The paper, authored by Elizabeth Bruce (Microsoft), Randal Burns (Johns Hopkins University), Theo Drane (AMD), Mary Lou Maher (CCC), Manish Parashar (University of Utah), Divesh Srivastava (AT&T), Michela Taufer (University of Tennessee, Knoxville), and Helen Wright (CRA/CRA-I), highlights the importance of industry engagement in academic research to foster a strong, reciprocal relationship to advance knowledge, develop technologies, and drive long-term success.
Collaboration between academia and industry is essential for advancing computing research and translating breakthroughs into real-world applications. While universities push the boundaries of knowledge, industry brings resources, scale, and pathways to commercialization. But effective engagement requires more than just a talent pipeline — it should be a dynamic, two-way exchange. Industry can help shape research agendas, while academia offers deep expertise and solutions to emerging technological challenges.
The whitepaper highlights key models for engagement, including:
- Industry-funded university research collaborations that pair PhD students and faculty with industry researchers to tackle transformative challenges.
- University partnerships with national labs, offering students hands-on experience in real-world research environments.
- Sustaining industry presence near universities, ensuring satellite offices remain connected to academic research ecosystems.
- Industry-University Cooperative Research Centers (IUCRCs), where companies pool resources to guide pre-competitive research.
- Dual appointments and flexible degree models, allowing students and industry professionals to bridge academic and industry work.
To maximize the impact of these partnerships, the whitepaper recommends long-term funding models, expanded internship and co-op programs, streamlined intellectual property (IP) agreements, and greater industry involvement in academic curricula.
For a deeper dive into these insights and recommendations, read the full whitepaper here.
