Science-Industry Brainstorming Sessions (SIBS)
Do you have a theoretical question or need to brainstorm with experts in your field? Partner agencies (local businesses/not-for-profits/government) can access researcher expertise at informal monthly lunch hour meetings. Partner agencies submit their specific problem or question and we source out expertise within the Faculty. A free group meeting with the partner agency and the researchers is organized at the Faculty of Science. There is no expectation for the partner agency to enter into subsequent research collaborations, but the attendees would be interested in a follow up to find out if their suggestions were helpful. The Faculty will provide food and beverages.
Partner agencies get free access to expertise that could help them get past roadblocks or open the door to new concepts for potential investigation. The Faculty of Science gets to support local partner agencies, build stronger ties within Alberta, and provide real value to our community.
Guidelines:
- Partner agencies must be from the local community (within Alberta).
- A partner agency can access this platform a maximum of twice/year.
- Partner agencies provide a general written description of the company problem or question so that we can find the appropriate expertise.
- Attendees agree to keep the discussion specifics confidential and partner agencies are asked not to disclose any company trade secrets/intellectual property (note: no non-disclosure agreements in place).
- If discussions progress past brainstorming and theory, attendees will be asked to consider a more formal follow up meeting with interested parties.
Tips for Partner agencies:
- Slides/presentation material describing the specific problem or question should be provided one week before the meeting so researchers can review the materials ahead of time- this allows for better discussion during the meeting.
- Bring someone to help with note taking as your speaker will be engaged in discussions.
- All attendees should bring their business cards.
Industry Testimonials
"The Science Industry Brainstorming Sessions organized by Betty Peavey were highly informative. We were impressed with how openly researchers shared ideas during these sessions and their enthusiasm when discussing solutions to our challenges. The researchers organized follow up sessions to further discuss our challenges and were very helpful in moving research projects forward. Many of the technology solutions researchers suggested around computational methods, new materials, and potential tool designs left us thinking "wow, I didn't know that was even possible!" Having access to their expertise is very valuable, especially for potential improvements to our efficiency and reducing growth bottlenecks. The brainstorming sessions really helped us discover what is possible and Betty was great to work with. She is very personable and was pivotal in forming working relationships with the researchers."
-Thomas Krywko, VP Design & Engineering, Cantega Technologies
"It was a pleasure to work with the talented and experienced brainstorming group from the Faculty of Science. We had been trying to explain discrepancies in what were supposed to be identical product runs for our medical device customer. In a relatively short time, we dealt with electronic materials, electronic junction behaviour, semiconductor processing physics and proper analytical techniques to verify different hypotheses, which led to investigations of what turned out to be the correct path."
-Glen Fitzpatrick, Chief Scientific Officer, Micralyne
