Participating Corporations
A major part of the mission of the IMA is to bring mathematicians together with engineers and scientists in order to stimulate the flow of interesting and relevant problems and to develop the means of solving them. This makes the IMA of great value to many industries. Moreover, interaction with and input from industrial scientists and engineers is vital to the accomplishment of the IMA's mission. The IMA Participating Corporation program is the chief mechanism for the involvement of industry in IMA activities.
The Industrial Advisory Board (IAB) consists of one representative from each of the IMA Participating Corporations (PC) and the non-academic Participating Institutions (PI). The Industrial Advisory Board is an important source of input and oversight for the IMA and an important conduit for information from the IMA to reach the industrial community. Its members keep aware of IMA activities through emailings, and the Board meets for a full day each year.
Program description
The IMA serves as a valuable resource to industry though its programs and vast connections. The Participating Corporation (PC) Program is the chief mechanism for the institute to collaborate with industry. Because the IMA connects scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in order to stimulate the flow of ideas, address interesting and relevant problems, and develop the means of solving them, the institute is a highly valuable resource to many industries. Moreover, interaction with and input from industrial scientists and engineers is vital to the accomplishment of the IMA's mission.
The institute’s experience and reputation have made it a highly effective venue for housing and administering programs and workshops. The IMA also provides access to cutting-edge scientific programs and a roster of well-known scientists across multiple disciplines which attracts the support of many different sectors of industry. Inquiries concerning the IMA Participating Corporation program should be sent to the director of the IMA (director@ima.umn.edu).
Basic level benefits
Access
The director and deputy director of the IMA and the director of the Minnesota Center for Industrial Mathematics (MCIM) make regular visits to Participating Corporations (PCs) to facilitate the exchange of ideas and problems. Visits to the IMA by corporate researchers are highly encouraged, and visitors have abundant opportunities for contact with relevant academic and industrial mathematicians, scientists, and engineers and access to the IMA's extensive network of scientific talent.
Connections
PCs are kept apprised of all IMA programming to maximize corporate participation in IMA programs, workshops, tutorials, conferences, and seminars.
Influence
PCs are given early access to IMA planning documents and are represented on the IMA Industrial Advisory Board. They have the opportunity to suggest and cosponsor Hot Topics Workshops on rapidly developing areas of interest to their company or industry.
Publicity
PCs are publicly acknowledged in numerous ways, including listing on marketing materials, website, and more, generating good will in the mathematical sciences community.
Support
Three thousand dollars of the corporate contribution is specifically earmarked to support researchers from the PC in IMA programs.
Training
Faculty consultation and student internships are available to PCs through the MCIM. Researchers from PCs may present problems to graduate students, postdocs, and mathematical scientists at the IMA/MCIM Industrial Problems Seminars and/or pose a problem and direct a team of selected graduate students toward its solution in the summer Math-to-Industry Boot Camp.
Premium level benefits
The Premium membership level allows for support of more industry-focused programming. It includes all of the benefits of the Basic level, plus:
Activities
Ten thousand dollars of the PC membership fee is set aside for the purpose of organizing an activity selected by Premium members. The activity may include a scientific workshop, training workshop, recruitment fair, or career fair.