Partnering with Private Industry-Ground Rules for Working Together

Extension has a history of partnering with private industry to support critical programs and research projects. However, these partnerships have the potential to present both actual and perceived conflicts of interest at the institutional and individual levels. A recent project in Ohio established a shared funding partnership arrangement among university, local government, and private industry to support a local survey project. To minimize conflicts of interest, an Ohio State University Extension team developed a one-page partnership document to guide the research project. This simple process helped to protect the integrity of Extension, and the credibility of the research project.