Principles and Partnerships Building Mutually Beneficial Research Relationships

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Principles and PartnershipsBuilding Mutually
Beneficial Research Relationships

• Kristina Boardman
• Wisconsin DOT
• Presented to AASHTO RAC
• July 12, 2006

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Outline

• Introduction Research at WisDOT
• Changing DOT focus need for partnerships
• Research management principles
• AASHTOs letter to RITA Nov 2005
• CUTC successful practices Jan 2006
• Challenges and opportunities

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Research at WisDOT

• New Research and Communication Services Section
  within Division of Business Management
• My interim role as research administrator and
  RCSS section chief while continuing as DOT
  officer for DBM
• My charge Keep moving ahead!

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WisDOTs Changing Focus

• Sustain commitments
• Mission, vision, values, emphasis areas
• Address new realities
• Funding gaps and downsizing
• Security
• Aging workforce
• IT and Internet potential
• Integrate actions
• Workforce plan
• Strategic highway safety plan
• ACE, IBIS, COOP-COG

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Research at WisDOT
Wisconsin Highway Research Program(WHRP)WisDOT/U
W-Madison

• Research Library Unit
• Strategic needs- Program management- Budget
  allocation- Project tracking- Performance
  measures- Program evaluation- Information
  services- Communicate results- Best practices-
  Training- Implementation

Council on Research(COR)Senior WisDOT Managers
Midwest Regional Univ. Transportation Center
(MRUTC)UW-Madison
Technology Transfer and New Product
EvaluationWisDOT Technical Staff
National University Transportation
CenterUW-Madison
Pooled Fund Projects WisDOT solicitation process
Traffic Operations and Safety Lab(TOPS)WisDOT/UW
-Madison
National ProgramsTRB, AASHTO, NCHRP, etc.
Technical Communications CTC Associates LLC
Construction and Materials Support Center (CMSC)
WisDOT/UW-Madison
Collaborative Engineering Center WisDOT/UW-Madison
Bridge Security Center WisDOT/UW-Madison
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AASHTO Recommendations for DOT/UTC Relationships

• Structured relationship with home state DOT
• Representation on advisory boards,
  research-selection committees
• Regular communication
• Implementable research products
• Relevance and accountability
• Agree on project selection, goals, schedules
• Some matching funds on project-by-project basis
• Involvement in needs identification
• Focus groups
• Other processes to identify DOT needs

November 30, 2005 letter from John Horsley to
Ashok Kaveeshwar
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AASHTO Recommendations for DOT/UTC Relationships

• National research roadmaps
• SHRP-II, AASHTO Strategic Highway Safety Plan,
  Concrete Pavement Roadmap, etc.
• Helpful in integrating state efforts
• Mutually beneficial projects
• Process to identify projects of mutual benefit
• Partnerships and funding from broad base
• Federal, state, regional, local agencies
• Other universities
• Private companies
• Non-profit organizations

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Observations on Successful Univ/DOT Business
Practices

• Set clear goals for partnership DOT
• Outside problem-solving capability
• Workforce development students become future
  employees university help DOT with training
  current employees
• Unique university role long-term, nearby,
  breadth of expertise, as-needed basis
• A way to participate in national research

Courtesy of Sandra Larson, Stephen Andrle,
Richard Long, Edward Mierzejewski, Matthew Moore,
Michael Kyte Council of University
Transportation Centers, January 2006
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Observations on Successful Univ/DOT Business
Practices

• Set clear goals for partnership University
• Research opportunities for faculty
• Research and employment for graduate students
• Enhance cash flow
• Source of tuition funds
• Essential DOT partnership for pooled fund
  projects
• DOT work as stepping stone to national research
• Applied research to build to fundamental research

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Observations on Successful Univ/DOT Business
Practices

• Acknowledge problem areas
• Overhead
• Intellectual property
• Publication rights
• Attitudes
• On-time performance
• Graduate student tuition
• UTC match

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Principles for Successful Business Relationships
Attitudes

• Trust
• Mutual commitment partnership
• Respect understand differences
• Honesty no games
• Enjoyable working relationships
• Strong work ethic and professional commitment
• Patience and frequent communication
• Work toward shared objectives

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Principles for Successful Business Relationships

• Joint business practices
• Multi-year basic agreement
• Point of contact at university and DOT meet
  frequently
• Dot officials on university center board
• Dot business practices
• Continuing admin funding and research level
• Participate in governance and project oversight
  committees
• Recognize scholarship demands on faculty
• Review and implement research recommendations

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Principles for Successful Business Relationships

• University practices
• Establish a client-focused business unit.
• Provide incentive for faculty to participate.
• Return some indirect cost to research unit.
• Build technology transfer into contracts.
• Partner with others grow beyond state work.
• Collaborate with academic faculty.
• Use applied research financial and experience
  base.
• Hire people with real-world experience.
• Be responsive, listen. Give DOT what it asks for.
• Provide communications support to researchers.

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Conclusions Challenges and Opportunities

• Share information, goals, needs
• Work hard at understanding each others point of
  view
• Celebrate individual and joint successes
• Make each other lookand begood
• Market successes together

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Thank you!
Kristina Boardman 608-267-3287 kristina.boardman_at_d
ot.state.wi.us