Assessment Statement
“The business unit actively seeks Public-Private and University Partnerships to nurture sustainable growth opportunities and enhance its competencies.”
Interpretation
This item assesses how actively the business unit pursues Public-Private and University Partnerships as a strategic method to nurture sustainable growth opportunities and enhance internal competencies. These partnerships bridge innovation, policy, funding, and workforce development — crucial to long-term resilience and learning.
This includes:
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External Engagement: Does the business proactively form partnerships across sectors?
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Strategic Fit: Are partnerships aligned with growth goals and skill gaps?
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Knowledge Exchange: Is the organization learning and evolving through these relationships?
Example: Iowa State University & Deere & Company, Score: 5 – Strongly Agree
Iowa State University and Deere & Company have maintained a 25-year, multi-dimensional public–private partnership, centered on sustainable agriculture innovation: External Engagement: The collaboration brings together university researchers, students, and industry experts to solve real-world farming challenges. Strategic Fit: The partnership aligns Deere’s growth goals with Iowa State’s strengths in agronomy, engineering, and sustainability. Knowledge Exchange: Through joint research projects and internships, faculty and students contribute to product development, while Deere gains fresh insights and recruits trained talent. This demonstrates a strategic and sustained collaboration that blends academic and industrial capabilities to drive innovation and workforce development.
Reference: Iowa State University. (n.d.). 25-year partnership with Deere & Company drives agricultural innovation. Iowa State University. Retrieved from https://agfundernews.com/iowa-state-university-builds-innovative-public-private-partnerships-for-a-more-sustainable-future
Learn more here: C. U. Ciborra, The Platform Organization: Recombining, Strategies, Structures, and Surprises, Organization Science, Vol. 7 No. 2, (1996)