A Winning Proposition
Partnering with the UA College of Engineering is a low-risk proposition with enormous potential.
- Accelerate R&D, especially for companies that may be resource-limited
- Grow and diversify your workforce
- Advance engineering education and training for your future employees
From global Fortune 500 companies to local startups, industry partners gain access to faculty expertise, labs and research resources and get early opportunities to hire the best and brightest UA Engineering students.
Research Collaboration
With expenditures exceeding $600 million a year, research is a cornerstone at the university. Whether you are a large company, small company, or somewhere in between, partnering with the UA delivers substantial benefits – specialized facilities and equipment, faculty expertise, and a talented workforce of students, for example.
In fact, strong academic-industry partnerships can form the backbone of federal research grants and contracts. Government seed grants – SBIR and STTR – are often ideal for businesses that have fewer than 500 employees and are seeking R&D support.
UA Engineering centers, institutes and labs serve a wide range of research areas – from hypersonic flight and quantum networks to minerals recovery, solar energy, biomedical devices and water treatment.
“At UA Engineering, we understand the challenges of industry-related research, and we are uniquely suited to forge productive, mutually beneficial partnerships. Join forces with a top research university to advance your company’s R&D goals, de-risk entrepreneurial projects, and find future employees.”
— Mark Van Dyke, UA Engineering Associate Dean of Research
Talent Recruitment
The college provides its industry partners with a number of ways to tap into a wellspring of talent.
Hire an Intern or Co-Op Student
Hiring students goes a long way toward developing a diverse, well-qualified workforce. UA Engineering students from all fields are known for making valuable contributions while working alongside engineers and other professionals.
Career Fairs
The iExpo Industry Career Fair, a student-run event held every spring, is the largest student-run career fair for engineers in Arizona. During the pandemic, iExpo will be a virtual event, making participation more convenient for employers near and far. Companies of all sizes are encouraged to participate. Other popular job fairs for engineers typically include the BIO5 Institute networking event in February and civil engineering career fair in October.
For more information on UA Engineering student employment programs and recruitment opportunities, please email Heather Moore, heathermoore@arizona.edu, or call 520.621.3647. Sponsor a Student Design Project
Many companies have little surplus bandwidth to devote to smaller-scale prototypes and designs. Partnering with the Craig M. Berge Engineering Design Program mitigates your risk while giving student teams opportunities to work on real-world projects.
Along with a faculty lead, industry sponsors can co-mentor students, which also provides yet another avenue for assessing potential hires. Additionally, select projects benefit from having Craig M. Berge Student Fellow team leaders and larger project budgets.
Each spring, industry partners attend Design Day to celebrate capstone project successes. Hundreds of engineering students publicly display their interdisciplinary team projects, some of which lead to patents or become commercial products.
Benefits of Sponsorship (pdf)
Partner Perspectives
Devon Campbell
“Internships and student design projects have served Ventana exceptionally well, by allowing the company to identify and hire emerging talent.”
Devon Campbell, Quanterix senior director, formerly Ventana Medical Systems director
Mark Whitaker
“At iExpo, we find very skilled, very determined people, with a work ethic built over four years.”
Mark Whitaker, United Health Group IT program manager
Patrick Marcus
“Local startups must build relationships with engineering students early on. We can’t afford not to be closely involved with the College.”
Patrick Marcus, Marcus Engineering
Erica Corral
“I regularly receive phone calls from NASA, the Air Force and Honeywell, asking when our next student is graduating.”
Erica Corral, UA associate professor of materials science and engineering For more information on research partnerships, email Mark Van Dyke or call 520.631.4737College Advisory Groups
Industry partners serving on advisory working groups help guide the future of UA Engineering. These individuals provide input on programs and course curriculum and aid in ensuring that the college’s training and research address industry needs.
Working groups are continuously forming and contributing to important areas across the college. If you are interested in participating, please email Mark Van Dyke, associate dean of research.
