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Department of Chemistry

Discovery Partners Program

Aims of the Program

  • To Promote close research interactions between scientists in member organizations and the Department of Chemistry.
  • Collaborative research programs.
  • Encourage personnel exchange programs.
  • Training in advanced chemical instrumentation.
  • Distribution of preprints and reprints of technical papers from the Department of Chemistry in selected areas, provision of student and postdoctoral associates vitae for recruiting purposes, research presentations by representatives from member companies at department seminars.
  • Assistance with continuing education, in finding technical consultants, and in filling positions.
  • Aids members in locating faculty in other areas of the University with special skills.
  • Annual meetings with workshops and short courses on topics of current interest.

About the Program

The Department of Chemistry Discovery Partners Program is a membership organization for industrial companies and other technical organizations. Its purpose is to foster a closer relationship between the Department of Chemistry and Industry. We offer members a number of organized programs and will be happy to consider providing special services that members might request. The Associates Program supports educational activities through research projects and exchanges of cooperative research.

Funds for the operation of the Associates Program are provided by an annual membership fee. The Associate may designate up to 80% of this fee for one or a combination of the following: cooperative research fellowships, the Training Program in Chemical Instrumentation, capital equipment, or unrestricted departmental support. Membership is designed for organizations whose principal activities require the skill of chemists or depend upon one of the major areas of chemistry. The membership unit is normally the entire company, but, in very large or highly decentralized industrial organizations, more than one unit may elect to join the program. Membership in the Associate Program is limited to ensure that truly useful relations can be developed between the members and the Department of Chemistry.

Activities and Benefits to Members

A prime objective of the program is to establish personal and technical relationships so that industrial and departmental chemists who have common research interests can work jointly on mutual problems. Each member organization may elect to receive copies of technical papers and reports in selected areas that are prepared by the faculty and graduate students of the department. Chemists from the member organizations are encouraged to visit any of the research laboratories at their convenience. Yearly workshops are held on campus in connection with the annual meeting of the Associates at which time graduate students and faculty describe their individual research projects. During these workshops, short courses on selected topics, advice on instrument acquisition and performance, and other activities may be included. Manpower development activities sponsored in part by the Discovery Partners Program include a Training Program in Chemical Instrumentation. Each year, members are asked to suggest topics and speakers from their research laboratories for technical presentations to be included in the department's graduate or senior seminar series; the department will bring in speakers to regular seminar sessions. The department welcomes the opportunity to discuss other organized programs that the Associates would find valuable or to provide special assistance to a member organization. Possible examples of the latter are advice in identifying expert consultants either from the Purdue faculty or from the faculty of another university, help in locating staff for the development of a company sponsored continuing education program, or assistance in developing a specialized technical seminar or tutorial session that is of particular interest to a member organization. A recent personnel exchange program has also proved very popular. The focus of this effort is laboratory-to-laboratory exchange of people usually for intensive short periods, aimed at mutual study of well defined problems.

Collaborative Research Awards in a Designated Area

This program permits a company to support one or more graduate students or postdoctorates working on a basic research project of mutual interest. Each Collaborative Research Award includes fellowship support for a student and unrestricted funds for the major professor in order to support the research. Recipients of the awards are encouraged to spend some time at the sponsoring company, and scientists from the sponsoring company are invited to visit Purdue and carry out collaborative research. Joint meetings may be held at a mutually acceptable location with the faculty director, the fellowship awardee, and the company scientists to discuss the project at various stages. The advantages to the company are close interactions with basic research programs of interest, frequent contacts with faculty and students, general support of strong research programs, and publicity from the named award.

Impact of the Program

The Discovery Partners Program is having a major, long-range impact upon the quality of programs available to students in the Department of Chemistry. In recognition of this, the identities of member organizations are publicized prominently, within Purdue and in reports of completed research.

Annual Membership Fee

$25,000 or more for corporate sales in excess of $50 million annually. $15,000 or more for corporate sales less than $50 million annually.

Twenty percent of the fee is to be used by the department to support selected components of the program, and the balance may be designated for:

  • Training Program in Chemical Instrumentation
  • Graduate Research Fellowships
  • Capital Equipment
  • Unrestricted Support