Industry partnerships

Leading innovation starts at Waterloo Engineering

The world is changing faster than ever before. How can industry stay competitive, continue to be global leaders, and embrace disruption?

Together with our industry partners, Waterloo Engineering is solving complex global challenges and advancing technologies to maximize impact in business and society.

Organizations in the public and private sectors can access a research community of trailblazers driven by ingenuity, excellence and creativity, recruit the global technology leaders of tomorrow, and leverage our leading-edge research infrastructure.

Partnering with Waterloo Engineering can help companies be at the forefront of technology expertise and innovation. Explore the possibilities of collaborating with the largest engineering school in Canada.

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Why Partner with Waterloo Engineering?

World class talent

The University of Waterloo's Faculty of Engineering is Canada's largest engineering school, creating a pipeline for top engineering talent to the world's leading companies. As a global leader in engineering education and research, our world-renowned faculty members are training the next generation of innovative professionals poised to address the diverse challenges facing companies today. 

Tap into our expertise

Consistently ranked as Canada's most innovative university, the University of Waterloo is a world leader in research, experiential education, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Waterloo Engineering brings bold ideas, brilliant minds and decades of fruitful partnership experience together to create tailor-made solutions to tackle complex and dynamic challenges. We are a leader in collaboration across sectors and disciplines, helping partners achieve concrete results in a timely and cost-effective matter.

This includes leveraging leading-edge engineering research hubs that represent our comprehensive portfolio of world-class research: advanced manufacturing, robotics, nanotechnology, data analytics, artificial intelligence, automotive, cybersecurity, blockchain, environmental sustainability and water, wireless communications, and networks and civil infrastructure.

Clear and balanced intellectual property (IP) terms 

Waterloo Engineering has long been known for its researchers who are entrepreneurial thinkers that are actively engaged with industry. 

The Intellectual Property (IP) policy at the University of Waterloo is called "creator-owned", which grants ownership of newly-created IP to the inventor, rather than the institution. Professors can work directly with companies to seek opportunities to best commercialize the research results. 

Waterloo embraces the philosophy that providing incentive through IP ownership is the best motivator to ensure that commercialization of research provides broad societal and economic benefit. The policy is a feature in attracting entrepreneurial oriented faculty and graduate students who want to engage in commercial enterprise. 

The policy and the university's entrepreneurial culture has positioned Waterloo as a national leader in the transfer of ideas and technology to the private sector. 

Save time and money by using our research infrastructure

Utilize world-class research infrastructure via partnerships with Waterloo Engineering. The availability of high-quality research facilities and infrastructure plays a crucial role in the success of our partnerships.

Our industry partnerships in the news

Norman Zhou

Wondering 'why' and 'what if'

Waterloo Engineering professor
Norman Zhou follows his curiosity to major research prize for industry partnerships.

Two men stand in their lab.

Advancing robotics innovation

Waterloo Engineering's RoboHub partners with Avidbots to improve their autonomous robot's efficiency.

Sanjeev Bedi instructs students in the IDEAs Clinic

Partnering with IDEAs

Brock Solutions and Waterloo Engineering's IDEAs Clinic partnered to develop an industrial automation activity.

Meet our industry partnership team

Contact the Engineering Research and Partnerships Office (Dave Dietz, Director, Engineering Research) to explore how a partnership with Waterloo Engineering can benefit your organization.