PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR: EXAMPLES FROM THE TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY SYSTEM

Partnerships can be effective tools for engaging universities with their communities. Examples from the Texas A&M University System Agriculture Program are used to discuss the use of partnerships and the use of university-industry partnerships in particular. The characteristics of successful partnerships and impediments to be overcome are discussed, along with the special challenges facing public-private arrangements. Potential partners should ask themselves: Why do we want this arrangement, do we have the commitment, and what will we learn