College of Engineering Faculty Excellence Award for Impact on Industry

Cover Sheet

Purpose: The purpose of this award is to recognize a faculty member in the College of Engineering for excellence in research that has had a significant translational impact in industry in the past five years.

Due: January 30, 2025

Eligibility: Any faculty member with at least a half-time appointment in the College of Engineering who has not received this award within the past five years. This award can also be a team award with up to a maximum of ten nominated as part of the team.

Criteria:

Nominations should explicitly address the impact and evidence of impact of the nominee’s research translation to industry in the past five years. Examples of impact could include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Industry funded research that has led to significant technology transfer to industrial partner(s). As evidenced by letters of support from industry partners reflecting on the significant importance of the tech transfer through the faculty member’s research.
  • Creation of a start-up company(ies) based on their research that has been successful in attracting significant external investment. As evidenced by support letters from investors describing potential of start-up company.
  • Creation of patents that have been licensed and successfully used by other companies. As evidenced by letters of support from industry executives reflecting the utility of the licensed technology.

Procedures:

  • Candidates may be nominated by any faculty or staff member in the College of Engineering or any external organization impacted by the nominee’s research.
  • The nomination package should include:
    1. Completed cover sheet.
    2. One letter of nomination (no longer than two pages) that addresses how the nominee has demonstrated excellence in meeting the award criteria.
    3. Three letters of support. Two from industrial partners/start-ups that have been impacted by the nominee’s research program(s), and one from academic colleagues at Purdue or other peer institutions (other than the nominator). Letter writers should explicitly address the award criteria.
    4. The above documents should be combined into a single PDF file.
    5. A complete curriculum vitae is to be submitted separately.
  • The awardee will receive a cash award of $2,500, an individual plaque, and will be honored during the annual faculty awards banquet.
  • In case of a team award, each team member will receive a cash award of $1,000, an individual plaque, and the team will be honored during the annual faculty awards banquet.
  • If multiple nominations for one individual are received, the nominators will be contacted and asked to collaborate in order to submit one nomination package.
  • Self-nominations are not accepted.