Could open science stimulate industry partnerships in chemical engineering university research?

Abstract

The hardest problems that engineers tackle, such as climate change, energy sustainability, food security, and water quality and quantity, cannot be solved without partnerships among universities, governments, and industry. These solutions must also be global, as low and middle income countries are particularly affected. In this Perspective, we ask the question whether the current and accepted framework for engineering research at Canadian universities is optimally structured to meet these challenges, and whether we should explore alternatives. We focus particularly on industry partnerships, knowledge translation and commercialization because these areas are central to creating societal impact from our work.