The Future of Innovation Depends on Strong Industry Connections

September 9, 2025

Breakthroughs in battery technology are powering a new era of energy efficiency and sustainable mobility. As fully autonomous vehicles edge closer to reality, intelligent systems are reshaping how we move, connect, and live. Across industries, artificial intelligence is accelerating discoveries in medicine, drug development, and countless other fields — charting bold new frontiers where data meets human potential.

These milestones aren’t random. They are the outcome of powerful connections between academia and private sector innovators. For decades, IEEE has helped foster connections between these two sectors.

We continuously explore ways to deepen both our academic connections and our industry collaborations. But make no mistake, these two sectors are inextricably linked.

Let me share my perspective. I started my college career as a double major in physics and electrical engineering. I love physics, and physicists are welcome in IEEE. I’d also say that the purpose of science is to understand the natural world. Engineering and computer science aim to apply scientific and mathematical principles to design, build, and advance technology to solve practical problems and improve daily life. While science focuses on discovery and explanation, engineering and computer science are application-oriented, taking scientific knowledge and transforming it into useful tools, systems, and processes.

When engineering is divorced from practice and solving problems, it loses its identity. Although I am an academic, I also know that I am more effective when I have some regard for practical applications. Through our public imperative activities, which leverage technology to tackle societal challenges such as sustainability, public safety, and digital privacy, IEEE is a force for innovation and a driver of meaningful impact for the public good.

IEEE’s role in supporting industry can’t be understated. Major companies scale their business development and long-term planning alongside the evolution of IEEE’s standards, which are strengthened by the collaborative input of industry leaders representing everything from cloud infrastructure providers to regulatory-heavy sectors like healthcare and finance. Inside technology companies, large and small, you are almost never one degree of separation from someone who is currently an IEEE member or was a member.

My personal motivation for many of my initiatives as president is the opportunity to bring people together across the industry-academic technology advancement spectrum. I believe the organization is at its best when it does so.

Inclusion of industry perspectives shouldn’t be an afterthought — it must be part of our design. Whether you’re leading, contributing, or simply participating in an IEEE initiative, it’s on all of us to ensure that industry voices are present, valued, and integrated. Collaboration at its best is intentional, and when we build together — with academia, government, and industry — we create solutions that are not only innovative, but truly impactful.

About the author: Kathleen Kramer is 2025 IEEE President & CEO.