SERC's structure as an "engineering teaching hospital" exemplifies our commitment to academic-industry collaboration and technology transfer.  Partners can receive assistance with their own research and help foster a well-prepared workforce. Students meanwhile gain depth and breadth of experience far beyond what a purely academic environment can provide.  Both support a fundamental SERC goal:  enabling the US to advance its competitiveness in the fast-evolving, global space marketplace.

Multiple Dimensions, Mutual Benefits

By ensuring that SERC research is relevant to the industry needs, we help students acquire relevant, leading-edge skills and knowledge.  Students benefit from each industry Partner’s unique breadth and depth of expertise, and the combination of exposure to space professionals, interaction with SERC faculty, and hands-on R&D significantly enriches, speeds and reinforces the learning experience.

Partners are invited to supply research projects that may not be feasible within their businesses, fall outside a company’s primary areas of focus, or involve new, exploratory directions.  By testing technology directions, hunches and wild ideas -- and building novel prototypes -- in SERC's laboratories and advanced testbeds, Partners quickly receive valid, scientific feedback to steer further research.

Creating the Next-Generation Space Workforce

SERC's Partner/Membership Program offers a range of levels of Memberships and licensing opportunities to support industry needs.  Benefits include:

• Joint research projects with SERC faculty investigators and students.
• Access to SERC students and graduates made up of skills and education experiences across the entire USC campus, outside of VSoE.
• Participation in the "hands on" training of next generation engineers within a cross-disciplinary systems environment, to "industry" standards.
• A neutral ground to engage in productive interaction and collaboration with other Sponsors/Partners.
• Access to both labs and special test equipment that SERC researchers and engineers have available.
• Participation/creation of dedicated workshops, conferences and symposia focusing on the 2nd generation of space discipline areas.
• Ability to influence SERC’s vision and future research directions.

Contact: David Barnhart, Director (310) 448-8644  [email protected]