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The value proposition of OIEx and what industry leaders are saying

Seeking to reach new audiences, deliver relevant information, seed detectable collaborations, and position OIEx as a sustainable a statewide information sharing strategy and digital platform, the OIEx team engaged an experienced team at the Battelle Center for Science, Engineering and Public Policy from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs of The Ohio State University to leverage their experience creating actionable intelligence for decision-makers working at the intersection of technology and public policy.

During the spring 2025 semester, OIEx sponsored a challenge to students enrolled in the College’s graduate-level course – Rapid Innovation for Public Impact  – “that organizes students into interdisciplinary teams who presented with a real-world problem provided by a government agency or non-profit organization. Students use the knowledge and skills they have gained in their academic career and apply them to make real impact. Throughout the semester, teams interview experts and those affected most by the problem to learn more about what is happening and what a solution might look like. At the end of the semester, the teams present a minimum viable solution to their sponsors and the rest of the class.”

Guided by Battelle faculty and staff, the RIPI students began interviewing industry leaders, public-policy experts, and higher education professionals to better understand the value proposition of OIEx.  Seeking perspective, insights and advice from thought leaders outside of academia that could further position OIEx as sustainable and valuable tool for industry professionals by decreasing traditional barriers to information and fostering cross-sector collaborations.

Battelle staffer Shahwar Ali is lending leadership and expertise to the graduate student team assisting them in synthesizing insights across sectors, cultivating stakeholder relationships, and translating findings into actionable strategies. Ali’s experience has been invaluable as OIEx seeks to strengthen public-private partnerships and deliver meaningful, equity-centered solutions aligned with Ohio’s economic and technological priorities.

OIEx Featured in International Webinar hosted by Times Higher Education (UK) 

Collaboration between academia and industry is essential to promoting innovation and economic growth. As industry demands continue to change, research information management systems and centralised profiling tools can help institutions position themselves as valuable partners in innovation by maximising the visibility of their research. During a Times Higher Education webinar, held in partnership with Digital Science, a panel of experts -- including  Jeff Agnoli of OIEx -- explored how universities can use technology to showcase their research assets and build mutually beneficial partnerships with industry.

The webinar also include the key findings from Catalyzing Collaboration: How Research Information Management Systems Drive Academic-Industry Partnerships, a white paper that featured OIEx.

The webinar drew an audience of nearly 200 users from around the globe and can be accessed online. 

“The importance of industry engagement with research is how it enriches and augments the research impact at the institution,” said Derek Newton, assistant vice-president of innovation, partnerships and entrepreneurship at the University of Toronto in Canada. “Often, it enriches the types of research projects our students can access and ensures that they’re employment-ready at the end of their project.”

Christopher J. Rowe, executive director for industry collaborations at Vanderbilt University in the US, highlighted the significance of understanding industry partners’ needs and how universities can “shorten the distance between industry and the researchers by being a matchmaker”. He discussed leadership’s responsibility to create an institution-wide culture of innovation and build sustainable relationships with industry. 

Mike Kagioglou, pro vice-chancellor of research and business innovation at De Montfort University in the UK, said that universities need to be flexible in the way they engage with industry as companies come with different perspectives, aspirations and maturity levels. 

The panellists discussed the role of research information management systems in enhancing the discoverability of research outputs and helping industry navigate university systems, which can be complex and decentralised. “Higher education institutions can be insular, but they need to do more outreach,” said Jeff Agnoli, senior liaison for strategic partnerships with the Ohio Innovation Exchange, Ohio State University in the US. “The platforms we use to promote and curate our resources are absolutely essential.”

Kagioglou spoke about the challenges of managing the variety of research data produced at universities. “It’s difficult for all of that information to be in one place. That’s where I see the value of research management systems – in trying to pull together everything that exists in an organisation and present it in a way that can address very specific areas of strategy,” he said.

“Research information management systems are specialist tools that are designed to collect and showcase the breadth and depth of a researcher’s expertise,” said Kate Byrne, senior vice-president of product, academic and publishing at Digital Science. “Collecting that data once will let you reuse it for so many things. But in this space, it’s about bringing a researcher’s CV to life and showing the relevance of the work that they’ve done,” she added.

“Storytelling around successful partnerships is critical to growing the nature and number of partnerships we have,” said Agnoli. “Telling those stories is wonderful for encouraging faculty members at your institution to think about these types of partnerships and helping companies who haven’t yet engaged with the university hear and understand some of the positive impacts.”

PANELISTS

• MODERATOR:  Sreethu Sajeev, Deputy editor for branded content, Times Higher Education (London, England)
• Jeff Agnoli, Senior Liaison, Corporate Partnerships, Ohio Innovation Exchange of the Ohio Dept of Higher Education
• Derek Newton, Assistant Vice-President, Innovation, Partnerships and Entrepreneurship, University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada)
• Christopher J Rowe, Executive Director for Industry Collaborations, Office of the Vice Provost for Research, Vanderbilt University (Nashville, Tennessee)
• Mike Kagioglou, Pro Vice-chancellor of Research and Business Innovation at De Montfort University (Leicester, England)
• Kate Byrne, SVP Product, Academic & Publishing, Digital Science (London, England)

Find out more about Digital Science.

Learn more about the Digital Science report Catalyzing Collaboration: How Research Information Management Systems Drive Academic-Industry Partnerships. 

OIEx Story Shared with International Audience at euroCRIS Conference in Paris, France 

OIEx team member Jeff Agnoli was invited to share how the OIEx consortia model is helping drive discovery in research and innovation at the annual EuroCRIS Strategic Membership Meeting held 26-28 November 2024 in Paris, France.  Jackson Anderson, Head of Product Management-Research Workflows of partner Digital Science was in attendance supporting our efforts.

The euroCRIS is an international not-for-profit association founded in 2002 bringing together experts on research information in general and research information systems (CRIS) in particular. euroCRIS is committed to fostering cooperation and knowledge-sharing across the research information community and promoting interoperability of research information through the CERIF standard, the Common European Research Information Format. 

This international organization for research information, held their 2024 annual Strategic Membership Meeting in Paris hosted by the French National Research Institute for Agriculture, Food, and Environment (INRAE). 

The Ohio Innovation Exchange -- the only U.S. based expertise system who participated in the conference -- was generously provided time on the agenda to share Ohio's unique efforts to promote innovation and discovery across the state and beyond. 

The agenda included presentations on research information management systems (RIMS) from the international community of universities and academic disciplines. Representation from national and university-based RIMS included, but not limited to, France, Germany, UK, Spain, Poland, Italy, Finland, Norway, Croatia, Serbia, Dominican Republic. 

New Report Details Blueprints for Success for University-Industry Collaborations Featuring Lessons Learned from the OIEx Story

A new report lays out a blueprint for success for universities and industry partners alike, with a focus on leveraging universities’ research expertise and facilities to support industry needs.

The report – Catalyzing Collaboration: How Research Information Management Systems Drive Academic-Industry Partnerships – was published in November 2024 by Symplectic, a trusted provider of information management solutions.

Using case studies from the University of Toronto and the Ohio Innovation Exchange (OIEx), the report explores how advanced research information management systems (RIMS) can:

• enhance the discoverability of research expertise and facilities
• foster industry partnerships
• drive meaningful collaborations both internally and externally
• increase their positive impact on the economy and society.

The University of Toronto’s DiscoverResearch portal and the Ohio Innovation Exchange utilize Symplectic Elements to showcase their research expertise and assets. The report outlines how both platforms are successfully transforming the way industry partners engage with academic expertise.

A copy of the Report is available for download.

Ohio University helping lead state’s innovation surge as a founding partner of the Ohio Innovation Exchange

Ohio University (OHIO), a founding university partner in the statewide initiative, is helping to advance the state’s business and industry research capabilities while playing a crucial role in driving economic vitality and technological advancement across Ohio.

“OHIO's continued involvement in the Ohio Innovation Exchange highlights not only the University's robust research infrastructure but also its ongoing dedication to driving economic growth and technological advancement through strategic academic-industry partnerships,” said Timothy Cain, project director of OIEx and associate professor in biomedical sciences at Ohio University.

PARTNERING TO CREATE INNOVATION OUTCOMES

Since 2020, OHIO has secured over $1M in three successive rounds of Ohio Third Frontier Research Incentive funding leading the multi-university team of professionals guiding feature enhancements, cultivating broad industry awareness, and expanding the initiative to now include ten featured Ohio universities, according to Cain, who serves as principal investigator.

"The recent designation of OHIO as an R1 university (Carnegie Classification denoting Very High Research Activity), is a meaningful recognition of our discovery ecosystem – our people, resources, and commitment to innovation," said Eric Muth, OHIO's vice president for research and creative activity. "The State’s investment in OIEx is helping connect industry to our university innovators and our peers across Ohio will have a greater economic impact than any individual institution could have alone. I am pleased that OHIO has played such an important leadership role in this statewide collaboration.” 

SOLVING REAL-WORLD PROBLEMS -- TOGETHER

Stacy Strauss, director of the OHIO Innovation Center noted that OIEx partnerships often start with information about potential collaborators that OIEx provides and are a testament to both the University's robust ecosystem of innovation and its critical role in solving real-world problems.

“My team frequently uses the Ohio Innovation Exchange to source research partners and other resources on behalf of our tech startup clients,” Strauss said. “Having a robust platform at the ready is critical to ensure that we – and, by extension, our clients – have a source for connections that benefit commercialization.” 

In addition to OIEx, OHIO’s involvement in the Ohio Innovation Fund (OIF) further amplifies its impact on the state’s economy. The OIF connects capital and expertise to emerging companies in Ohio, fostering a vibrant environment for startups and innovation.

As a founding investor in OIF, Ohio University has helped facilitate the growth of businesses that contribute to over $10 billion in market value and serve a diverse range of industries and institutions.