P&G and UC bridge gap between industry, academia

The Procter & Gamble (P&G) Digital Accelerator (formerly the UC Simulation Center) is an example of closing the gap between what industry practitioners need and what academic experts provide.

The P&G Digital Accelerator, located within the University of Cincinnati's 1819 Innovation Hub, emerges as a nexus of partnership, where the intellectual talent of students and faculty intersects with the expertise of P&G professionals.

In 2008, UC and P&G partnered to support undergraduate and graduate students, post-doctorates and faculty. The Digital Accelerator engages students to collaborate on research activities with P&G technical staff.

Alison Main, vice president, corporate research and development and sponsor of the P&G Digital Accelerator since 2020, provides essential guidance and facilitation for the program's seamless operation. Additionally, she has been instrumental in spearheading the rebranding efforts of the space, emphasizing the value that the UC partnership brings.

“Establishment of this new identity helps raise awareness for the P&G/UC partnership and increase visibility within P&G. This includes the innovation capabilities of both parties among prospective employees, students and innovation thought leaders,” Main said. “I've been very honored to work more closely with Ryan Hays on how we create more value both for the university and P&G. This endeavor not only tackles contemporary business challenges but also serves as a testament to the strategic foresight of envisioning future partnerships.”

Main is building on the capability of the Digital Accelerator to develop ways to enroll more UC departments and faculty to expand the horizons of working between traditional mentorship roles and delving deeper into the fabric of academia-industry interaction. Originally focusing on students from the UC College of Engineering, expanded disciplines include biology, business, chemistry and math students and a relationship with UC Digital Futures.

Main is inspired by the collaboration and its mutual benefit.

“From the perspective of P&G, the connection with UC offers expertise, insight and diverse perspectives," she said. "This wealth of knowledge emanates not only from the brilliant faculty but also from the innovative minds of students.”

Feedback Main has received about the Digital Accelerator has been positive. P&G provides the university with real world business applications and problem statements for students to solve.

“The breadth of the benefit travels both ways, and we each bring our best to the relationship, and we receive a special kind of gift by being able to work together,” Main said. “In return the students get access to mentors who invest in them not solely for a specific project but also in their personal development, career guidance and interview tips.”

Over the course of 15 years, P&G has hired 28 UC students, and more than 480 students have been part of the program since its inception in 2008.

A deep understanding of consumer insights, combined with innovative products, is what propelled P&G to become a household name. Currently, an exciting project is underway as four UC students partner on a project through the Digital Accelerator.

“They are collaborating to develop smart devices for P&G that are used in the homes of enrolled consumer study participants," Main said. "These devices are designed to collect insights on habits and daily behaviors by detecting things like the timing and amount of product used. Beyond custom smart device development, the students are exploring how to leverage off-the-shelf and custom products to be more cost effective and easier to produce to meet our needs. A key objective of the program is to foster interdisciplinary learning and engagement among the various engineering disciplines, encouraging a collaborative and innovative approach to technology advancement.”

Main imparts how the experience of the partnership and access to top-tier student and faculty has been nothing short of mind-opening.  

“It's been fantastic. The exchange of collective wisdom enriches both parties with new ideas to think differently about the challenges of innovating in the consumer goods industry,” Main said.

Featured image at top: P&G Digital Accelerator space. Photo/Greg Glevicky