Top 3 Reasons to Attend the Industry/University Summit

by Eric Lanke
NFPA CEO

Every NFPA member with an interest advancing fluid power technology and connecting with a better educated workforce should send a representative to the upcoming Industry/University Summit NFPA and CCEFP are organizing at Iowa State University. Full details and the link for registration can be found here: https://nfpahub.com/events/ccefp-industry-university-engagement-summit/

NFPA has been facilitating forums like these for the last 15 years or so (the last 10 with our university partner, the Center for Compact and Efficient Fluid Power). Here are the top 3 reasons why you should make sure your company takes advantage of this opportunity:

1. Tour Lab Facilities. If you haven’t visited a university campus recently, you might be surprised by the lab facilities that they offer. Every Industry/University Summit includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the host university’s lab facilities, which can be used both by students to enhance their education and by companies to explore technical challenges associated with their products. The Iowa State summit will include tours of both their fluid power and vehicle systems labs—both state-of-the-art facilities that can greatly enhance your experience and open new possibilities for you.

2. Meet the Students. A big part of the CCEFP’s mission is to educate the next generation of scientific and engineering leaders in our field. The industry-directed, pre-competitive research they sponsor is largely performed by postgraduate students who are considering careers in fluid power. Several will be on hand at Iowa State to help present the research findings and to interact with industry attendees. It will be a great opportunity to connect with someone who may be a future innovation leader for your company.

3. See, then Help Create the Future. The CCEFP’s pre-competitive research strategy works best when industry gets involved and helps to guide it. Donors to the NFPA Foundation serve on the leadership committees that help shape that strategy, identifying both the pre-competitive challenges the CCEFP should tackle, and selecting the research projects that will best address them. Attending the Iowa State summit will give you a better understanding of what that strategy is, how it benefits our industry, and where your company can best get engaged.

It’s going to be a great event. I’ll be there and I hope someone from your company will be as well.