Effective February 2015, WNCG is pleased to announce the introduction of a new Level III membership option in its Industrial Affiliate Program. The Industrial Affiliate Program allows companies to become stakeholders in WNCG and to participate in the growth and direction of the center. Initially founded to significantly lower the cost of pre-competitive research for each sponsor, the program maximizes benefits to each sponsoring company.
In addition to benefiting from regular interaction with 130 graduate students and 20 top faculty, affiliates receive special access to high-quality students for recruitment purposes, first views of research publications and business opportunities for joint research collaborations. Affiliate interaction has inspired many graduate student dissertations and created a fertile recruiting ground for affiliate companies.
The new Level III membership was created as a result of feedback and requests from current affiliate stakeholders during WNCG’s annual Board Meeting and Open House events. Aside from basic affiliate benefits, the new level creates additional opportunities for student recruitment and engagement through research projects and participation in the WNCG Seminar Series, which brings in visiting lecturers to further student education in cutting-edge research and ideas. Level III membership also provides increased opportunities for faculty engagement in research collaborations.
In addition to a strong return-on-investment for affiliate companies, the Industrial Affiliate Program also benefits WNCG. By creating a stable financial base, WNCG researchers are able to attract more government-sponsored grants from organizations such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Defense, and others, which further the reach and capabilities of WNCG research. A portion of each membership fee directly supports WNCG research programs, faculty and students.
To find out more about the new Level III Membership and how you can become a part of WNCG’s Industrial Affiliates Program, contact Lauren Bringle at lauren.bringle@austin.utexas.edu or visit: wncg.org/affiliates/join.