New Research Agreements

In an expanding effort to bridge the gap between discoveries in Baylor University's research laboratories and their practical application in industry, the Baylor Advanced Research Institute, or BARI, has signed two new agreements with the University of Stuttgart in Germany and Texas State Technical College in Waco.
"To be successful and competitive, faculty need to collaborate with other researchers outside their own university, and this new agreement will provide an avenue for our researchers to do just that," said Dr. Truell W. Hyde, vice provost for research at Baylor. "It will provide new opportunities for all of our faculty and students."
The new memorandum of understanding between Baylor and Stuttgart will provide for:
• Exchange visits for faculty and students;
• Joint research activities and projects;
• Exchange of research students and young scientists; and
• Exchange of academic materials and other information.
While the main goal is collaboration between the two schools on all subject disciplines, the agreement specifically references ongoing research at the Space Science Institute at Stuttgart.
Two of the Stuttgart satellites will pass directly over Waco about five times each day. Through this new agreement, Baylor will provide Stuttgart the capability to communicate with their satellites over a previously unreachable area from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Canada. Baylor students and faculty will be able to use the Stuttgart satellites to train and perform various functions.
Jim Kephart, BARI director of program development, said the agreement provides great potential for further collaboration with Stuttgart.
"Our common goal is to provide Baylor students and faculty greater opportunities to live, learn and work with both academic and industrial partners in the greater Stuttgart region of Germany," Kephart said. "We hope to also see our new colleagues from Germany participating in an active exchange presence on the Baylor campus." 
The new agreement with Stuttgart follows a similar agreement with TSTC. The agreement with TSTC makes the BARI more attractive to industry through TSTC's ability to provide technical training, assistance and a technical workforce to any new or emerging industry in Texas that is a "client" of the BARI.
"One of the first things the CEO of a company thinking about relocating to the region will want to know is who can provide them with research and development support and where they can hire a trained workforce," said Hyde. "City officials now can point to the BARI and this new agreement with TSTC."