When thinking about potential partners, consider the following:
Industry partnerships:
What competencies/resources do you need from the company to complement your own? Does this company have the capability to deliver on these expectations?
What benefits to your research program do you wish to gain from partnering with this company?
What on-demand and unique resources can you offer that will be of interest to this company? Consider expertise, technologies, facilities, samples, cohorts.
Community partnerships:
Do you, your colleagues and/or U of T have established relationships with the group/organization?
How can your research, expertise, and/or capabilities bring value to this potential partner?
How do you foresee the partnership enriching your own academic endeavors?
What societal impact do you expect from a collaboration with this group?
Reaching out to potential partners:
Contact us and/or colleagues to identify pre-existing relationships with the prospective partner, and to devise an outreach strategy.
Getting noticed by potential partners:
Keep your research website up to date and compelling, participate in conferences, symposia, and workshops, and encourage your students and postdocs to interface with external groups.
Reach out to get started:
Raquel De Souza, PhD
Director, Partnerships & Innovation
raquel.desouza@utoronto.ca