Industry Advisory Board (IAB)

Purpose

The Industry Advisory Board (IAB) serves as a strategic partnership forum between the School of Computing Sciences and leading organizations in technology, government, and innovation sectors. The IAB's mission is to co-develop employability initiatives, shape curriculum relevance, and foster industry collaboration to empower students and meet evolving employer needs.

Mutual Benefit Summary

The Industry Advisory Board creates a dynamic partnership where each side wins. The university ensures its teaching and research stay aligned with industry trends, students gain first-hand access to employers and mentorship, faculty gain collaboration and funding opportunities, while companies shape future talent, tap into research capabilities, and raise their visibility on campus. It’s a win-win ecosystem driven by shared outcomes, agility, and innovation.

Strategic Objectives

1. Boost Graduate Employability

   • Provide real-world insight into current and future skills employers demand.

   • Help design micro-projects, hackathons, internships, and mentorship programs.

2. Bridge the Curriculum–Industry Gap

   • Contribute to periodic curriculum reviews with an eye on future technologies (AI, GenAI, Cybersecurity, Cloud) and workforce needs.

   • Recommend updates in course design, assessment modes, and delivery formats.

3. Enable Agile Industry Collaboration

   • Form short-term, task-specific working groups to solve targeted challenges.

   • Rapidly co-create initiatives such as a student startup incubator or coding sprints.

Support Strategic Growth & Reputation

• Act as School ambassadors and connect UEA talent with Industry ecosystems.

• Shape the school’s direction by sharing insights into global market trends and innovation paths.

Membership & Commitment

• Comprises leaders from global, national, and regional companies, startups, and public sector organizations.

• Members can nominate company colleagues or relevant contacts to join task groups.

• Meetings are hybrid (online/in-person) and held twice yearly – typically in May (Employability Focus) and September (Curriculum & Strategy Review).

• Members are encouraged to contribute 1-2 hours quarterly via:

  • 1:1 advisory calls

  • Guest lectures or panel appearances

  • Quarterly webinars

  • Participation in agile task groups

Ways to Contribute

• Recruitment & Engagement

  Offer placements, internships, and entry-level roles for UEA students and graduates. Bring experts from your company to give the university staff and students a sense of what is wanted by organizations like development, support, IT, product management, HR and others.

• Curriculum Feedback

  Act as critical friends during reviews of undergraduate, postgraduate, and PhD programs.

• Guest Talks & Skill Workshops

  Deliver tech talks, leadership sessions, or interactive career clinics. Involve IAB member companies’ internal organizations like development, support, IT, product management, operations, finance, HR and others.

• Mentorship & Industry-Led Projects

  Guide student groups, assess final-year projects, or provide real-world challenges. Possibly introduce industry mentors to UEA mentees which might span staff to students.

• Innovation Collaborations

  Explore joint funding bids (EPSRC, Innovate UK, UKRI) or research partnerships with UEA staff.

• Resource Access & Branding

  Access a talent pipeline and showcase your organization to the UEA computing community.

By actively engaging with students and staff, IAB members can significantly enhance the learning experience, ensuring that both students and faculty remain motivated, inspired, and aligned with the real-world needs of the industry.

Operation & Governance

• The Core IAB Group is co-chaired by the Head of School and an IAB external board member and includes:

  • 2 UEA academic representatives

  • One IAB action owner and driver (program/operations coordinator)

  • 5–6 rotating industry representatives (for 1 year, preferably 2 years)

  • This group leads strategic review and sets yearly goals with measurable impact.

• Agile Task Groups
  Small, fast-moving teams formed around specific themes (e.g., AI Skills Gap, Cybersecurity Curriculum, Women in Tech).

  • Typically operate for 6–12 months, mostly online.

  • Led by either UEA staff or an external board member.

• Communication & Updates

  • Quarterly progress summaries.

  • Biannual meeting (May & September).

  • Optional informal webinars and networking sessions.

Value Proposition of the Industry Advisory Board