The UW’s competitive strength comes in part from our support of research partnerships within the academic community and our industry and public sector collaborators around the world.
Fast facts
A valued partner
Over 40% of sponsored research projects at UW involve external partnerships.
Over 1,700 sponsors
The UW partners with federal sponsors, foundations and non-profits, industry, state and local government.
A global university
The UW has partnerships with over 100 universities in 36 countries.
Spotlight on partnership: UW is #7 in the world powering global innovation
Global intelligence provider Clarivate ranked the UW #7 in their Top 50 Universities Powering Global Innovation report which analyzed the role of research in shaping innovation and impact worldwide.
Connecting the University to business and community
Partners work with the UW research community to advance their R&D efforts, tap student talent, and engage experts to help them achieve their goals. Our culture of entrepreneurship ensures we come to the table with an expertly-equipped workforce and business-savvy processes, enabling us to initiate and sustain positive, productive relationships with partners.
Translational research
CoMotion’s interconnected programs and resources are designed to support researchers and entrepreneurs throughout their innovation journey. Whether licensing to industry, spinning out a startup, or licensing direct to the user, UW researchers can tap into CoMotion’s many resources, programs and services to support them along the way.
Community engagement
Our commitment as a public university means we are a critical partner in helping to address the challenges of our region and the world. Community engagement between the UW and communities – local, tribal, state, regional, national and global – is a collaboration for the equitable, mutually-beneficial creation and exchange of knowledge and resources.
Corporate and foundation relations
The UW Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations works with corporate and foundation partners, as well as University faculty and staff, to foster meaningful engagement and advance the University’s education, research and service mission.
Spotlight on community partnerships: Sharon Laing puts community first in her health research
“There is a need to engage with the community and not be siloed in a lab at a university setting, reading research papers and doing these kinds of experiments that are divorced from what the community is experiencing” said Dr. Sharon Laing, associate professor in the School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership at UW Tacoma.