10/30/2009
On October 27, more than 60 research-oriented senior company representatives and College of Engineering unit leaders joined together to discuss research and technology directions and opportunities as part of the annual Innovation Leadership Advisory Board (ILAB) meeting on campus.
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On October 27, more than 60 research-oriented senior company representatives and College of Engineering unit leaders joined together to discuss research and technology directions and opportunities as part of the annual Innovation Leadership Advisory Board (ILAB) meeting on campus.
“ILAB’s primary goals are to help us maintain its engineering technology excellence and leadership, continue to provide industry with exceptional graduates, and, conduct outstanding research essential to industry success,” stated Ilesanmi Adesida, dean of the College of Engineering. “The ILAB members are uniquely qualified to help us explore research directions and opportunities on tactical and strategic levels. Together, we can examine our current initiatives in the context of economic and technological trends, consider the potential impact of engineering innovation, technology transfer, and, hopefully, develop more effective private and public partnership for the future.”
The meeting opened with a keynote address by William Bates, vice president for Government Affairs at the Council on Competitiveness, in Washington, D.C. In his remarks, “Seizing Opportunity in an Innovation Economy,” Bates noted that major transformational shifts in the global economy and the ubiquitous nature of advanced technologies and telecommunications were making the 21st century competitive marketplace increasingly divorced from any past precedent.
“To remain competitive in this rapidly shifting arena, the ability to innovate and quickly adapt is imperative,” Bates said. “America’s economy cannot continue to grow while trying to out-compete emerging economies on labor costs or the manufacture of commodity products. Nor can America rely on the utilization of traditional energy sources. Instead, America must compete where competitive advantages exist: through a focus on a right-skilled workforce and the development of high-value innovative technologies, products, and services.
Bates stated that sustained collaborations between academia, industry and government are among the most effective and efficient means to both develop new ideas and technologies, and to bridge the gap between invention and the implementation required to drive the new innovation economy. It falls to private and public sector leaders to capitalize on the opportunities brought forth through collaboration; to catalyze U.S. innovation initiatives and fuel America’s competitiveness for decades to come.
The opening session included group discussions on targets of opportunity for the college and industry, with the afternoon session spent evaluating research collaboration and interface models and sharing the results from the day’s deliberations.
Following the meeting, participants met informally to discuss centers and programs with leading faculty in an exhibit hall format. Exhibiting units included the Illinois Center of Transportation, the Illinois Center for Wireless Systems, the Energy and Sustainability Engineering program, the Design of Adaptive Load Mitigating Materials Using Nonlinear Stress Wave Tailoring MURI Center, and the Center for Agricultural and Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology. The dinner program included five short presentations given by graduate students on "hot technologies" emerging from the college.
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Contact: Dr. Normand Paquin, assistant dean, Office of Research, College of Engineering, 217/244-7985.
If you have any questions about the College of Engineering, or other story ideas, contact Rick Kubetz, Engineering Communications Office, 217/244-7716, writer/editor.