The University of Wisconsin Graduate School has forged a new branch, the Office of Industrial Contracts, in an effort to foster stronger relationships with corporations and aid research contract agreements.

Interim Director Bill Barker, an associate dean in the College of Letters & Science, said the office will mainly aim to build stronger ties with private sector industry, as well as make the internal process of research contract agreements more effective.

Initially, he said, this will involve straightening out the nuts and bolts and focusing on policy clarity.

“Our first concern is a process question about what the most efficient way [is] to have internal conversations when contracts are being negotiated,” Barker said. “As we get that streamlined, we’ll move to the broader question of what should be our philosophy of working with industries.”

Barker said this philosophy includes building strong, lasting ties with industrial partners.

“It’s about building broad relationships, not just finding a quicker way to get a contract deal,” he said. “It’s more holistic than that.”

Another goal of the new office, according to Barker, is to increase the amount of funding from the private sector.

In a UW statement, he said industrial contracts amounted to $26.4 million in fiscal year 2010, and this should be utilized and built on.

He said decreases in federal government spending on research funding paired with cutbacks in internal corporate research make now a good time to focus on relationships with the corporate world.

“This offers the opportunity for both sides to figure out a model that works for everyone,” he said.

Through establishing new and broader relationships with industry, Barker said the Office of Industrial Contracts benefits not only academic and research faculty but students as well.

“By building good relationships between faculty research labs and industrial partners, there will be more opportunities for students to have internships, more research positions and ultimately employment opportunities,” he said. “All of these things happen now, but we want to increase this.”

William Mellon, UW professor and associate dean for research policy at the Graduate School, said the idea for the office has been in the works for some time.

For the past five years Mellon has been a member of the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership, authorized by the National Academies of Science.

He said the goal of the organization is to enhance research potential through fostering university-industry relationships.

“[The idea for the office] certainly came about internally through committees, but we’ve been pointing toward this goal for a few years and have now gotten certification from the university to initiate this office,” Barker said.

Barker said the committee Mellon refers to is an ad hoc group of report faculty and academic staff which recommended the creation of a new office in a 2009 report.

He said preliminary tasks for the Office of Industrial Contracts currently include initial meetings, making a website, finding space and hiring staff.

Though the office is still in the works, Barker said, deals are being worked on.

Mellon said the creation of the Office of Industrial Contacts bodes well for the future of research at UW.

“It’s very positive that we can make an impact on faculty and staff and how they conduct research with industry,” he said.