Corporate Relations Reimagined: How Academic Institutions Can Build Sustainable Industry Partnerships

Why This Matters

Corporate relations in higher education is critical—yet often misunderstood. Building a successful corporate relations program requires a strategic, institution-wide approach that delivers measurable benefits for students, faculty, and industry partners alike.

What You’ll Learn

Join us for insights from a newly released white paper by NACRO: “CORPORATE RELATIONS REIMAGINED: How Academic Institutions Can Build Sustainable Industry Partnerships.” The full report is available for download here.

This session will explore the seven essential elements for effective academic-corporate engagement, including:

• Institutional Support
• Campus Coordination by Central Corporate Relations
• Partnership with Career Services
• Integrated Approach to Corporate Sponsored Research

Featured Discussion

The Co-Chairs of the NACRO Benchmarking Committee will share strategies for:

• Refining corporate relations practices to enhance investment and innovation
• Driving research collaboration between academia and industry
• Creating meaningful career opportunities for students
• Building sustainable, productive long-term partnerships

The bottom line: Reimagining academic corporate relations requires more than incremental change—it demands a bold, integrated approach that reflects today’s complex academic-industry landscape.

Program Leaders