Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

This invitation-only event consists of a series of thematic roundtables with academia and industry speakers/discussants focused on bridging the gap between the research and industry communities through action-oriented and discussion-based planning. The discussions are meant to inform thought leadership, plant seeds of collaboration, and build meaningful connections.

Each of the five roundtables are chaired by members of the research community and are meant to be highly interactive. They will begin with short presentations from identified industry speakers to provide context and plant seeds for discussion. After the presentations, identified expert discussants will provide their reactions and insights. The remainder of the roundtable is dedicated to open and facilitated conversation among the chairs, speakers, discussants, and other general participants in the room. Key discussion topics will be captured and distilled into a series of white papers. Attendees are encouraged to attend and participate in multiple roundtables over the two-day agenda, whether they have a formal speaking/discussant role or not. For topics that may be less of a priority, attendees are encouraged to engage with faculty (and others) in 1:1 networking.

Northwestern will synthesize key discussion points from each of the DWGs into a series of white papers which will be used to publish in academic journals (e.g. reviews/perspectives in Nature Energy, PNAS, Science, etc.), educate policy makers and federal funding agencies, develop joint funding proposals, present at conferences, inform op-eds, etc.

The event is invitation-only and not open to the public. In attendance will be industry leaders, Northwestern faculty members, and researchers.

• Speakers are members from industry who will kick off the roundtable by presenting for 10-15 minutes to help frame the discussion and seed points of conversation. How do we define success on 1-, 5-, and 10-year timescales?
• Discussants are members from industry who help spur conversation by being the first to react to the speaker presentations and sharing their own perspectives (5 minutes max). No presentations necessary; simply their reactions in real-time. What did you find interesting/ what resonated with you (or didn’t)? Did you disagree with points the speaker made? Anything they missed? What questions did their presentation provoke?
• General participants are members from industry and the research community who are also in the room. They are encouraged to share their perspectives as part of the free flow of the conversation after initial insights from speakers and discussants. Do you agree/disagree with what’s been shared so far? What resonates/doesn’t? What does success look like and how do we get there by leveraging R&D?
• Chairs are Northwestern faculty and researchers who will keep the conversation on track. No presentation is required. Their role includes: provide very brief opening remarks and speaker introductions (5 minutes max), draw out participation from those in the room, provide commentary as needed, keep speakers on time (15 minutes max), reserve final 5-10 minutes to synthesize conversation (what are top three to five priorities that emerged?).
• Secretariats are members of the Northwestern research community who will be taking notes during the roundtable discussion to ensure that key points are captured for inclusion in the white papers that will be written following the event.

To the extent possible, industry attendees are encouraged to stay the full two days and attend as many of the DWGs that align with their interests, even if they do not have a formal speaking or discussant role—in other words, they would be attending as a “general participant” for those DWGs. However, during DWGs that are less aligned with their interests, industry attendees are welcome to step out and network with faculty, researchers, and other industry members. This includes arranging 1:1 faculty meetings, etc. to build and strengthen collaborative relationships.

Convening of the DWGs is a benefit within the new Industry Affiliates Program (IAP) at Northwestern’s Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy. If you enjoy the event, find it valuable, and want to participate in and help craft similar engagement opportunities in the future, we encourage you to contact mike.mcmahon@northwestern.edu and megan.jenningsquist@northwestern.edu for details about becoming an IAP member.

We suggest business casual attire, though guests are welcome to wear business professional attire if they so choose.