Sui to Discuss University-Industry Partnerships at Oxford Summit

University of Arkansas / University Relations

Daniel Sui

Daniel Sui, vice chancellor for research and innovation and Distinguished Professor of geosciences, will give a presentation this week at the Oxford UIDP Summit at the University of Oxford in England. Sui will discuss the role of social sciences in university-industry partnerships.

The UIDP Summit is a transatlantic conference for senior-level university and industry professionals and government policymakers. The event convenes global business leaders, top university administrators and researchers and government officials to explore how knowledge generated by universities can be used for the good of the economy and society, primarily through technology transfer and collaboration with business.

Sui's presentation will focus on three broad topics:
            1. Why academic social scientists need to work with industry.
            2. Why businesses and industry need social sciences.
            3. Overcoming barriers that block engagement between social sciences and industry.

"Each year, industry-sponsored R&D far exceeds government funding for research," Sui said. "In 2016 alone, industry collectively spent $365 billion on research and development. These companies have a massive amount of big data, which academic social scientists should try to access through new partnerships. Industry, on the other hand, needs the rigor and neutral, data-driven methods of academic research to enhance and improve traditional business practices."

As part of the third topic, overcoming barriers, Sui will discuss cultural change and new research models at universities, as well as the role of government funding agencies in promoting partnerships between academic research and industry. He will also discuss the future of work and industry, how businesses can orient themselves toward fulfilling human social, aesthetic, intellectual and spiritual needs.

While in England, Sui will give a public lecture at University College London, where he will discuss smart cites and the future of geographic information science. He will visit the British Academy of Sciences and UK Research and Innovation, an organization that promotes partnerships between universities, businesses and government.

At the U of A, Sui oversees research administration, research compliance, the planning and optimization of research space and shared instrumentation, interdisciplinary research centers, undergraduate research and the University of Arkansas Press. Prior to his appointment at the University of Arkansas, he served as division director for social and economic sciences at the National Science Foundation. He is an internationally renowned researcher in the area of GIS-based spatial analysis and modeling for urban, environmental and public health applications.