Workforce Development that Meets Your Needs Today
Move faster with a balanced partnership model that advances your research and development while building a reliable workforce pipeline. In industry, research succeeds when it moves fast, but it’s often limited by access to specialized instrumentation and reliable technical talent. The University of Oregon is ready to help partners remove barriers to innovation through a portfolio of research core facilities, experienced staff, and collaboration pathways that support applied research.
What to expect
The UO’s advanced facilities and expert staff provide corporate partners with access to specialized instrumentation and the skills to deliver on your projects. Supervised research projects for students can provide characterization, prototyping, and more while developing the next generation of your workforce. Our proven partnership models benefit both companies and students with hands-on experience at competitive rates.
How to get started
- Define your research need: Bring a specific project or area of inquiry. We’ll help identify a facility or researcher that best meets your needs.
- Connect and plan: Align on scope and discuss feasibility and timelines.
- Set operating boundaries: We can accommodate your requirements for confidentiality, intellectual property, and student expectations.
We encourage you to reach out to our innovation team or the research facility directly.
Case Study
Oregon Center for Electrochemistry's Master's Program
The Oregon Center for Electrochemistry (OCE) illustrates how UO partnerships can integrate facilities, sponsored projects, and workforce development into a practical industry-aligned model.
Students complete an accelerated six-month curriculum combining coursework and laboratory training, followed by a nine-month paid internship with a sponsor. Sponsors may propose project topics and collaborate with university experts to define scope and deliverables, such as corrosion analysis, thermodynamic characterization, or electrochemical device evaluation. Companies can also provide feedback to help keep training aligned with current industry needs.
During the program, sponsors receive deliverables such as analyzed datasets or prototypes developed using sponsor-provided materials fabricated under expert supervision. There is no base fee for engaging with the OCE Master’s Program; we provide flexible models and may offer services in exchange for paid internships. Internship hosts gain employees prepared to contribute quickly and who operate under the sponsor’s confidentiality and intellectual property policies. Many companies choose to hire interns during or after the internship period. Alumni have gone on to roles at organizations including Amazon, Tesla, De Nora, Hughes Research Laboratories, and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory.
Why it matters
OCE is a concrete example that the UO can build partnerships where facilities, established experts, and workforce development reinforce each other without restricting companies into a one-size-fits-all program.
OCE isn’t alone; learn more about our established programs in CAMCOR and Knight Campus.