About UI Collab
Practitioner Expertise for the Research and Innovation Community
As the consulting and executive search arm of the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership (UIDP), UI Collab combines the experience of accomplished practitioners with the knowledge and perspective of a global community dedicated to strengthening university-industry partnerships.
Our consultants have led the work our clients are trying to advance, from building corporate engagement programs and managing research partnerships to developing innovation ecosystems, improving contracting practices, securing research funding, commercializing technologies, leading organizational change, and recruiting specialized talent.
Our clients receive more than recommendations. They gain experienced partners who understand the realities of working across institutional and sector boundaries and can help turn complex challenges into practical action.
Why UI Collab?
Sometimes You Need an Outside Expert Who Already Understands the Work
UI Collab grew from a need UIDP has seen firsthand for years. Universities, companies, and other organizations regularly turn to UIDP looking for experienced professionals who can help them address university-industry relations and broader research and innovation challenges.
Sometimes the need is additional capacity. Other times, an organization is entering unfamiliar territory, preparing for strategic planning, navigating organizational change, or looking for an independent third party who can bring stakeholders together.
UI Collab was created to meet that need.
Our consultant network brings together experienced leaders and practitioners from universities, industry, government, nonprofits, and the broader research and innovation community. They have held executive and senior leadership roles spanning research administration, corporate engagement, technology commercialization, innovation strategy, entrepreneurship, economic development, contracting, intellectual property, and university-industry-government partnerships.
Because they have done this work themselves, our consultants bring practical judgment and an understanding of the organizational realities that influence research, innovation, and partnership outcomes. This practitioner-led approach is also central to how UI Collab describes its expertise in the consultant lookbook.
What Makes UI Collab Different:
- Real-world perspective. Our consultants understand how strategies, policies, partnerships, and organizational structures work in practice—not just in theory.
- Cross-sector understanding. Our network includes leaders who have worked from the university, industry, government, and innovation ecosystem perspectives.
- Specialized expertise. We match the expertise to the challenge rather than forcing every engagement into the same consulting model.
- Practical recommendations. Our goal is to help clients make informed decisions, improve performance, strengthen partnerships, and translate strategy into action.
- An independent perspective. UI Collab can provide an experienced outside voice when organizations need objective assessment, stakeholder alignment, facilitation, or guidance through change.
“For years, organizations in the UIDP community came to us looking for experienced professionals who truly understood the complexities of university-industry collaboration. UI Collab grew directly from that need. We’ve brought together accomplished practitioners who have done this work firsthand and can apply what they’ve learned to help organizations solve challenges, build capacity, and move important work forward.”
Anthony M. Boccanfuso, PhD
Principal, UI Collab
President, UIDP
Questions We Help Organizations Answer
Organizations often come to UI Collab with questions such as:
Strategy
How can we strengthen our approach to university-industry collaboration and align it with our broader organizational priorities?
Structure
How should we organize and coordinate the offices, teams, and individuals responsible for external engagement and research partnerships?
Partnerships
How can we identify the right partners, build stronger relationships, and manage those relationships for long-term value?
Policies and Contracting
Which policies, agreements, or processes are creating barriers to collaboration, and how can we improve them?
Impact and ROI
How should we define, measure, and communicate the value of university-industry relationships using both quantitative and qualitative measures?
Innovation Ecosystems
What role should our organization play within its regional or sector innovation ecosystem, and how can universities, companies, government, nonprofits, and other stakeholders work together more effectively?
Research and Technology
How can we move research and emerging technologies more effectively from discovery toward application, commercialization, or transition?
People and Leadership
What expertise, organizational capacity, or leadership do we need to achieve our goals?
Our Partners
Strong partnerships are fundamental to advancing research, innovation, and university-industry collaboration.
UI Collab works alongside a network of trusted strategic partners to deliver comprehensive, multidisciplinary solutions for our clients. Through collaborations with organizations such as Elsevier, CannonDesign, Collaborative Real Estate, McCurdy Laud, and The University Financing Foundation (TUFF), we provide clients with access to complementary expertise spanning research analytics, campus and innovation district planning, real estate strategy, organizational development, and innovation ecosystem growth.
These partnerships enable us to deliver integrated solutions that help organizations strengthen research enterprises, accelerate innovation, and build lasting cross-sector collaborations.
