FLORIDA'S FIRST COAST MANUFACTURING INNOVATION PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN INDUSTRY AND ACADEMIA

摘要

Joint industry-academia projects with regional industry have influenced creation of Florida's First Coast Manufacturing Innovation Partnership (MIP). The development of MIP has the primary goals of project-centered innovations for technology transfer, training the regional workforce with relevance to industry, and sustainability of technology transfer through creation of high-technology jobs. The region known as Florida's First Coast is one of the fastest growing in the nation and has received recent acclaim as a top location for new and emerging businesses and industries to relocate or expand. The importance of manufacturing to the economy is crucial. Every individual and industry depends on manufactured goods. This sector continues to account for 14% of US GDP and 11% of total US employment. One way to help expand the regional industrial base is to develop a shared resource support facility in the fields of manufacturing engineering and design. The first objective of MIP is to stimulate transformation of knowledge in design and manufacturing occurring in the academic domain to applied research and development in industry. This is accomplished with project-centered innovations developed using a shared manufacturing and design resource. The second objective of MIP is to develop partnerships with additional academic institutions with the common goal of producing students whose education satisfies the needs of the regional workforce with scientific and technological training with relevance to industry. This also includes a mentorship facet to attract and retain engineering students for the future. The third objective is to implement MIP for long-term sustainability of technology transfer and creation of high-technology jobs in the manufacturing engineering and design professions. Technology tools for innovation in advanced manufacturing, for example, robotics and automation, modular robotics, advanced manufacturing process development, manufacturing systems modeling, and simulation; and advanced design, for example, computer aided engineering including finite element modeling, design analysis, and rapid prototyping are used in support of projects in partnership with regional industrial companies. Joint industry-academic projects require the integration of research and the technical need of the partnering company. A critical level of innovation is accomplished with the outcomes of projects while providing a distinguishing educational background for the engineering graduates. Several partnership projects have been initiated under the auspices of MIP. These projects with local industry are outlined and serve as a platform for new and emerging projects for joint mutually beneficial collaboration between industry and academia.