University-Industry Partnerships in the Social Sciences

 The University of Maryland, College Park, in collaboration with UIDP, and with support from the National Science Foundation, as well as MITRE, Optimal Solutions Group, and the Consortium of Social Science Associations, will host a two-part workshop, convening a diverse group of experts and leaders from academia, industry, and government to consider how academic-corporate partnerships can advance social, behavioral, and organizational science research to positively impact science and society.

With the rapid growth of social networks over the last two decades and the corresponding availability of big data, the behavioral and social sciences have become increasingly important to the development and growth of organizations’ capacity to understand and address global challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the importance of the social science research in providing guidance during societal crises, particularly with respect to the successful operation of organizations during emergencies. Social, behavioral, and organizational science can help organizations address societal needs, and these contributions can be magnified through collaborations between academia and industry.

The workshop sessions will cover a number of timely and relevant topics, including harnessing social data for societal benefit, addressing misinformation, building pandemic preparedness in social and community contexts, supporting diversity and inclusion in organizations, shaping the future of work, effective approaches to leadership development, and understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on society.

The goals of the workshop are to highlight promising areas in the social sciences where university-industry partnerships can make an impact; learn from previous successful partnership models; build a strong network and community between academic researchers and industry representatives in the social sciences; and identify specific opportunities related to social sciences research, education, and technology commercialization for universities and corporations to collaborate. The workshop is supported by the National Science Foundation, as well as MITRE, Optimal Solutions Group, and the Consortium of Social Science Associations.