Courtesy of Tennessee State University
Tennessee State University recently co-hosted an HBCU conference to highlight the groundbreaking research these institutions are conducting and to expand corporate partnerships. The main goals of the HBCU Engage conference co-hosted by University-Industry Demonstration Partnerships (UIDP), were to increase collaboration between HBCUs and corporate engagement. TSU, Fisk University and Meharry Medical College were co-hosts for the two-day event.
Dr. Quincy Quick, the Associate Vice President of Research and Sponsored Programs, spearheaded the event on behalf of TSU.
“This is a platform to make sure HBCUs are able to engage with corporate industries and partner with government agencies,” Quick said. “Ways that academic institutions can partner with corporate industries and help them develop products.”
The collaboration included representatives from federal agencies and corporations such as the Department of Energy, Amazon, and IBM. The event aimed to engage, educate, and exchange ideas among representatives from industry and higher education, as well as to facilitate learning from peers in government program leadership and research administration.
Quick said his goal is to broaden the scope of the research enterprise at TSU to pursue the nation’s top research echelon with an “R1” designation under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Learning.
“This platform is new and innovative,” he said. “In a sense, HBCUs have not had a platform available to them like this before.”
The first day of the conference consisted of federal grant writing, meetings with sponsored research contracting, and partnering with nonprofit funders. Day two consisted of panel discussions, collaboration, and best practices for building research capacity through industry or government partnerships.
Overall, the event moves TSU a step closer to ‘R1” status as the university mobilizes its research enterprise – including teaching faculty, researchers, graduate school, staff, and students – to support its vision for the coveted designation.
About UIDP and its HBCU initiative:
UIDP is a recognized leader in addressing issues impacting academic-corporate collaboration, providing a unique forum for our member representatives to find better ways to partner. An increasing number of companies and R1 universities wish to pursue or strengthen collaborative research partnerships with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). Many HBCUs are interested in utilizing partnerships to bolster research opportunities. The purpose of the UIDP HBCU Initiative is to develop guidance that provides company representatives and R1 universities with the necessary contextual information and best practices for developing a mutually beneficial HBCU engagement strategy.
