UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS President’s Office EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT & BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT May 2021 Much of this material contained herein is gained in confidence and as such should be regarded as confidential. Accordingly, it is understood that dissemination of this material should be limited to those individuals in your organization who are directly connected with this specific search or whom a reasonable person would agree have a need to know. P O S I T I O N DESCRIPTION University of Massachusetts | Executive Director, Industry Engagement & Business Development Prepared by Beth Schaefer & Matt Vossler, Managing Directors Executive Director, Industry Engagement and Business Development The University of Massachusetts seeks a highly talented and motivated individual to develop and lead system wide efforts as the Executive Director, Industry Engagement and Business Development, creating with this position a central Innovation and Business Engagement resource so that the university can pursue an active, integrated approach to business engagement, innovation & entrepreneurship and technology transfer that will yield greater benefit for the entire university system. Reporting to the System Chancellor of Academic Affairs and Senior Vice President of Economic Development, the Executive Director will work with each campus to create new opportunities to support campus-wide business engagement and innovation and entrepreneurship activities. The Executive Director will introduce campus-based discoveries to vibrant local and regional business communities to support unique and joint campus research, innovation and entrepreneurship activities and build long-term relationships to support technology transfer, job creation, and economic growth. THE UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS PRESIDENT’S OFFICE The University of Massachusetts is a world-class public research university committed to advancing knowledge and transforming lives. The University of Massachusetts is world-renowned for its groundbreaking research, quality academic programs, innovative faculty, and culture of collaboration, the strength of its public mission, which have all led to the development of life-changing technologies impacting lives around the world. The President’s Office, helmed by President Marty Meehan, provides overall leadership and financial management to the University and its five campuses, each with its own distinct but complementary mission. The System Office spearheads joint academic and financial initiatives, and provides shared services in the areas of information technology, treasury, and procurement among others, in order to drive maximum efficiency and effectiveness on behalf of our 75,000 students. This office has more than 300 employees across two offices located in Boston and Shrewsbury. U.S. News & World Report has ranked the University of Massachusetts as one of the best university systems in the country for three years running, with all four undergraduate campuses ranked top-tier national universities. The Medical School is in the top 10 percent in the nation for primary care education, and the bar pass rate at the emerging UMass School of Law is now surpassed by only Harvard and Boston University in the state, soaring above 92 percent. As a public research university, UMass has a dynamic relationship with the innovation economy of Massachusetts. With more than 300,000 graduates living and working in the state, UMass is the largest producer of the highly skilled workers that lead and fuel the state’s economy. In fact, UMass educates nearly three times as many Massachusetts residents as the top eight Massachusetts private universities combined, graduating more than 18,000 students each year. 1 P O S I T I O N DESCRIPTION University of Massachusetts | Executive Director, Industry Engagement & Business Development Prepared by Beth Schaefer & Matt Vossler, Managing Directors The university’s enduring commitment to supporting the Massachusetts economy means that its academic programs and research are designed with the needs of Massachusetts industry and companies in mind. Not only that, but research at UMass is conducted in the areas most critical to today’s companies, from applied life sciences, data science, and climate science to advanced manufacturing and financial technology, providing a strong undercurrent of academic support to the established and emerging industries in Massachusetts. In addition to providing its students with a world-class education and conducting groundbreaking research, UMass generates billions of dollars for the Massachusetts economy, supporting more than 49,000 jobs each year in the state. As the second largest employer in the state, UMass is a key thread in the cultural and economic fabric of Massachusetts. In total, the university contributes more than $7.5 billion into the Massachusetts economy every single year, helping to ensure a brighter and stronger future for its citizens. Driving Innovation Home to many of the world’s leading scientific minds, UMass has a vibrant and dedicated community of faculty, researchers and students who develop world-changing technologies in diverse fields like engineering, life sciences, and health care. The university is committed to bringing these new ideas to life through patents and startup businesses based on inventions developed by students and faculty. In 2019 alone, UMass researchers filed 206 invention disclosures, launched 7 start-up companies and executed 26 licensing deals. Faculty and researchers at UMass were awarded 73 patents, placing 37th in the world and third in New England. At UMass, our students, faculty, and researchers all have access to the university’s incubators and centers, where teams of experts with vast knowledge in their disciplines can collaborate and provide hands-on experience testing innovations and creating start-ups in the fields of engineering, life sciences and technology. In 2019, UMass awarded almost a quarter of all life-sciences degrees conferred in the state, making the system the top producer of degree-holders in our region. UMass Amherst The UMass Innovation Institute was created to ensure that knowledge and technology developed at UMass Amherst rapidly and broadly move from campus labs into mainstream society. Being responsive, agile, flexible, and timely in dealing with sponsors, collaborators, faculty, and external stakeholders have enabled UMass Amherst to expand the impact of its research and contribute $2.5 billion to the economy in 2018. UMass Amherst’s Institute for Applied Life Sciences alone connects more than 200 research groups and faculty from 29 different departments. UMass’s strengths in applied life sciences are setting the stage for big impacts in medicine and materials tomorrow. There are hundreds of possibilities, many pf which have life-transforming applications. 2 P O S I T I O N DESCRIPTION University of Massachusetts | Executive Director, Industry Engagement & Business Development Prepared by Beth Schaefer & Matt Vossler, Managing Directors UMass Boston With a focus on urban and global engagement, UMass Boston partners with local institutions, business leaders and local, state, and federal governments to strengthen contributions to state, national and global cultural and economic development. The Venture Development Center (VDC) is a managed incubator for early-stage business, university, student entrepreneurs, attracting more than $1 billion in investment to firms it has nurtured over the last decade. The VDC offers 18,000 square feet of state-of-the-art plug-and -play office, lab and meeting space, shared business services and equipment. In addition, development of a 22 acre waterside property adjacent to the campus, Dorchester Bay City, is expected to become a life science, research and development hub providing many opportunities for linkage to UMB scientists. The total economic impact UMass Boston created in 2018 was $1.2 billion. UMass Dartmouth Through the SouthCoast Development Partnership, UMass Dartmouth is helping to shape the blue economy across the region. The partnership’s focus is on expanding the commuter rail to the Suncoast, developing the waterfront in New Bedford and Fall River, developing renewable energy, and performing economic cluster analysis. Sustainability and climate resilience research is happening in labs and centers across the university. Innovation in marine science and technology can inform best practices for the emerging offshore wind industry. Massachusetts has one of the top fishing ports in the country, and if sustainably managed, the aquaculture industry has great long term potential. This is a topic of current research at UMass Dartmouth’s Massachusetts Marine Fisheries Institute. In 2018, UMass Dartmouth created a total economic impact of $549.7 million. UMass Lowell Research activity by faculty and students, especially in engineering and advanced manufacturing, is one of the major drivers of economic impact at UMass Lowell. The campus is renowned for state of the art research in nanomanufacture, printed electronics, advanced composites and textiles, and advanced additive manufacturing, As research expenditures continue to grow through a mix of grants, private funding, and university investment, the campus has developed a variety of partnerships that exchange knowledge and resources between the university and public, private, and non-profit sectors. These community-engaged activities include teaching, learning, service, and research, resulting in a total economic