Some hints for university faculty collaborating with IBM.

1. For general information about IBM University Programs

Please review…

Overview Presentation:
What’s UP at IBM? University Programs!
http://www.slideshare.net/spohrer/ibm-up-external-20130514-v11

Contact:
Jim Spohrer (spohrer@us.ibm.com)
Director IBM University Programs
http://www.service-science.info/archives/2233

2. To connect with an IBMers who shares your interests…

Some interest areas…
– Learning/Teaching/Courses
– Discovery/Research/Publications
– Engagement/Entrepreneurship/Service

Making contact…
– Ask your best IBM contact for help reaching out…
– Search web for “IBM, <topic of interest>” to find names of IBMers
– Search social media for “IBM, <topic of interest>” to find names of IBMers

Request an exploratory discussion….
– Exchange emails
– Link via social media – Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.
– Schedule an intro call
– Schedule a meeting at a conference
– Schedule a university or IBM location visit

3.  Be specific about the outcome desired, and then find an IBMer who can help…
– To establish a new course or degree program
– To establish or expand a research center
– To be a guest lecturer or course instructor
– To place students in internships or full-time positions
– To mentor, judge, or be an advisory board member
– To play a role in a conference, special publication, or professional association
– To jointly pursue funding for a project of mutual interest
– To find out more about specific IBM programs
– To point you to appropriate online self-enablement kit

4. The key is to find local IBMers, and expand your list of IBM contacts:

– IBM Research Campus Relationship (research)
– University Relations contact (research)
– Academic Initiatives contact (readiness)
– Technical Advocate Program contact (readiness)
– Recruiting Manager (recruiting)
– Client Executive (revenue)
– Community & Corporate Affairs contact (responsibility)
– On Demand Community local IBM volunteers (responsibility)
– Senior Location Executive Program contact (region)
– On Campus IBMer (6 R’s)
– Partnership Executive Program contact (6 R’s)
– other locally employed IBMers (initial contact)

5. Be aware that the best relationships usually…

– Require clearly defined outcome(s) of mutual interest
– Depend on the strong support of local IBMer(s) as champion(s)/volunteer(s)
– Align strongly with regional economic development goals
– Align strongly with IBM initiatives, such as Smarter Planet, Analytics, Cloud, etc.
– Involve the use of IBM HW, SW, Solution & Service offerings
– Often tap into deep IBM expertise in area(s) of mutual interest
– Often generate positive communications, press, and visibility in social media
– Often can help scale an innovation globally and rapidly
– Often connect with broader collaborations through professional associations
– Require persistence in building the relationship over time
– Do not depend on an IBM awards, which are highly competitive (but might lead to awards)
– Do not depend on an IBM conference sponsorships, which are quite rare
– Do not depend on IBM funding, but on the active engagement of IBMers