The Engineering Professors’ Council is developing the second edition of its Enterprise Collaboration Toolkit, building on the highly successful first edition which brought together examples of effective collaboration between engineering academics and industry. Submissions close 30th November 2026.
We are seeking short case studies from engineering academics across the UK that demonstrate how universities and industry partners can work together successfully to create impact for research, innovation, education, industry, graduates and society.
The environment for university–industry collaboration has changed significantly in recent years. Artificial intelligence, the growing importance of defence and security, global supply-chain disruption and manufacturing reshoring, climate change, energy security and decarbonisation, and shortages of engineering skills are all creating new challenges—and new opportunities—for collaboration.
We therefore particularly welcome case studies that demonstrate innovative, effective and transferable approaches to working with industry in this changing and challenging environment.
Your case study does not need to describe a large project or a major funding award. We are interested in the approach to collaboration, what made it work, the challenges encountered and the lessons that other engineering academics, especially early career, could learn from your experience.
We equally welcome honest accounts of collaborations that only partly succeeded, stalled or came to an end. What did not work, and why, is often the most useful lesson for others.
We welcome contributions from different types of universities (e.g. research-intensive, regional, specialist and newer institutions), from a wide range of engineering disciplines and different industrial sectors.
What makes a good case study?
We are looking for examples that:
- demonstrate a genuine and productive university–industry relationship;
- explain how the collaboration was established and developed, rather than simply describing its outcomes;
- identify challenges, barriers or setbacks and how these were addressed;
- provide practical lessons that other academics can apply or adapt;
- share honest views about what did not work and what you would do differently;
- demonstrate benefits for both the university and industry partner(s);
- illustrate how collaboration can contribute to research impact, innovation, education, skills, economic development or demonstrate wider societal impact.
Case studies may involve a single company, multiple industry partners, SMEs, large corporations, public-sector organisations or industry networks.
Please submit your case study using the template provided below before 30th November 2026.
Contributions should be concise and accessible to engineering academics who may have little previous experience of working with industry.
The EPC’s Research, Innovation and Knowledge Transfer Committee will review submissions and select a balanced collection of case studies for inclusion in the second edition of the Enterprise Collaboration Toolkit. Selected contributors may be contacted to clarify or edit their submission before publication.
We particularly encourage contributions from early-career academics and colleagues who have developed successful collaborations without the benefit of large established research-industry networks.
The aim is to build a practical resource that helps engineering academics answer a simple question:
What can I learn from others that will help me build a successful relationship with industry?
We intend to publish the second edition of the Enterprise Collaboration Toolkit in the summer of 2027.
Submission categories
Each case study should be submitted under one primary category. Contributors may also identify one or two secondary categories where appropriate.
1. Building and developing industry partnerships
Examples include:
- establishing a relationship with a new industry partner;
- moving from an informal relationship to a strategic partnership;
- developing long-term relationships rather than one-off projects;
- building trust between academic and industrial partners;
- creating effective university–industry networks or consortia;
- developing partnerships with SMEs or organisations that have limited experience of working with universities.
Key question: What did you do to establish and develop a productive longer-term relationship?
2. Collaborative research, innovation and R&D
Examples include:
- collaborative research projects;
- industry-led or co-created research;
- contract research and consultancy developing into longer-term collaboration;
- translational research and technology development;
- industry participation in research programmes;
- commercialisation and exploitation of research;
- interdisciplinary university–industry R&D.
Key question: How did the partnership turn academic expertise into research, innovation or value for industry?
3. Knowledge exchange and innovation ecosystems
Examples include:
- knowledge-transfer partnerships;
- knowledge exchange between academics and industrial practitioners;
- innovation centres, institutes or hubs;
- regional innovation ecosystems;
- industry networks and clusters;
- shared facilities, laboratories or demonstrators;
- mechanisms for transferring knowledge into industrial practice.
Key question: What mechanisms and structures enabled knowledge and expertise to flow effectively between university and industry?
4. Industry-informed education, curriculum and student projects
Examples include:
- industry co-designed curricula;
- industrial involvement in teaching;
- live industry projects and challenges;
- capstone and design projects;
- industrially based student research;
- use of industry data, facilities or equipment in education;
- industry professionals contributing to programme development or delivery.
Key question: How did industry collaboration improve engineering education and student learning?
5. Skills, employability and talent pipelines
Examples include:
- developing industry-relevant skills;
- graduate recruitment partnerships;
- placements and internships;
- degree apprenticeships;
- continuing professional development;
- upskilling or reskilling the existing workforce;
- addressing engineering skills shortages;
- developing new talent pipelines with industry.
Key question: How did the collaboration help address current or future engineering skills needs?
6. Responding to major industrial and societal challenges
This category is deliberately broad and should capture collaborations responding to major changes affecting engineering and industry.
Examples include:
- artificial intelligence and digital transformation;
- defence and security;
- manufacturing reshoring and supply-chain resilience;
- climate change and adaptation;
- decarbonisation and net zero;
- energy security, energy costs and renewable energy;
- resource efficiency and circular economy;
- infrastructure resilience;
- demographic and workforce changes.
Key question: How did university–industry collaboration help address a significant emerging challenge?
7. Impact, regional development and economic growth
Examples include:
- supporting regional industrial development;
- creating or retaining high-value jobs;
- supporting local SMEs;
- developing new industries or supply chains;
- regeneration and place-based innovation;
- university–industry partnerships contributing to regional economic growth;
- demonstrable research or innovation impact.
Key question: How did collaboration create value beyond the individual university and company?
8. New models and approaches to university–industry collaboration
This category is intended for genuinely novel approaches that do not fit comfortably elsewhere. Examples include:
- new partnership models;
- innovative approaches to intellectual property or governance;
- new funding or investment models;
- unusual approaches to sharing facilities, people or expertise;
- international university–industry collaborations with UK relevance;
- collaborations involving multiple sectors;
- approaches that have significantly changed how an institution works with industry.
Key question: What was different and novel about the way the collaboration was organised, and why did it work?
9. Other
Use this category only where the case study does not fit meaningfully into any of the categories above.
- The deadline for submitting your case study is 30th November 2026.
- Please submit your case study here.
- Co-authors should complete this form.
- If you have questions, or are interested in joining the working group for this call for content, please email Ion Sucala.
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