At Carnegie Mellon, we recognize that an important part of a rich learning experience is participating in projects with organizations who seek the benefit of design thinking and problem-solving processes. Studio courses and research frequently include real-world projects.
Sponsored research projects enable our students to tackle meaningful design challenges, like envisioning the car of the future or explaining the importance of insect life on earth. Our students have the opportunity to work with big-name clients, and many work as research assistants on faculty projects.
Our research sponsors gain the fresh thinking and new possibilities that students are uniquely equipped to contribute. Sponsors find that classroom-based research often generates innovative, unexpected solutions and client-sponsors are invigorated and challenged in new ways through their interaction with our students.
You're in good company.
The School of Design has a solid history of successful collaboration with leading companies, nonprofits, and academic partners. Sponsored research has included collaborations with:
- Boeing Horizon X
- Bollinger Motors
- Bosch
- Carnegie Museum of Art
- Carnegie Museum of Natural History
- Citrix
- Disney Research
- Fiat Chrysler (Stellantis)
- GE Appliances
- General Motors
- IBM
- Innovation Works
- Intel
- LG
- Microsoft
- Motorola
- National Institutes of Health
- National Science Foundation
- Pittsburgh Zoo
- Procter & Gamble
- Qatar National Research Fund
- Samsung
- United States Postal Service
- University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
- Vodafone
Sponsor a project.
Project duration can vary from part of a semester (3 to 7 weeks) to a full semester (15 weeks) to a full year (or even multiple years.) A project may engage a full class or an independent team of a just few students and faculty members. Both undergraduate and graduate students have opportunities to participate.
If you have questions about sponsoring research or would like to set up a meeting to discuss possibilities, please contact us.