Partners | RIT
Partners
Partners
Previous
Next
Partner with RIT and put your business or organization on a path toward something amazing. Whether we’re collaborating on research, developing solutions for corporations, or helping you tap into our talented pool of students and alumni, RIT has the connections that lead to success.
Jump to Section
Work with Our Experts
Foundation Relations
Government and Community Relations
Boosting Visibility/Brand Building
Recruit Students and Alumni
Industry Solutions
Research Partnerships
Strategic Partnerships
Technology Licensing
Technology Business Incubator
Corporate Education Programs
Working with National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Work With Our Experts
RIT gives you access to experts who provide real solutions to real challenges. Whether you need help with a technical challenge, need some testing done, or would simply like some consultation from someone who knows your field, RIT faculty can be the connection to knowledge you need to succeed.
You can use
this search tool
to see whether RIT has an expert in your area of need. Please contact Sara Vinch, assistant vice president of corporate relations, who can put you in touch with our subject area experts.
Contact
Sara Vinch
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
Development
University Advancement
585-475-5498
sevuadv@rit.edu
Find People by Areas of Expertise
Foundation Relations
Private and corporate foundations are pivotal players in philanthropic support at RIT. Longstanding partnerships with foundations have helped to advance exciting projects in education innovation, the arts, science, health, imaging, computing, deaf and hard-of-hearing scholarship and more.
Through research support, scholarship funding, program pilots and operation funding, and a host of other grant opportunities, our foundation partners have helped RIT become one of the most unique and successful universities in the U.S., while advancing their foundation missions and positive change in the world.
Contact
Sara Vinch
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
Development
University Advancement
585-475-5498
sevuadv@rit.edu
Learn more about foundation relations
Government and Community Relations
RIT’s
Office of RIT Government and Community Relations
serves as the university’s liaison with federal, state, and local government entities as well as community groups and organizations. We coordinate RIT’s participation in community events and manage special events that take place on the RIT campus. Our relationships between the university and all levels of government and the community at large result in funding and other types of support and strengthen RIT’s visibility and image in the community.
Contact
Vanessa J. Herman
Vice President for Government and Community Relations
Office of the President
Office of the President
585-475-5040
vjhgrl@rit.edu
about government and community relations
Boosting Visibility/ Brand Building
Creating awareness about your organization within RIT has lasting effects. From our talented students seeking a unique employment opportunity, to faculty and graduate research areas that align with your needs, to branding your business as a key partner to a cutting edge university – RIT can increase your organization’s visibility.
Contact
Sara Vinch
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
Development
University Advancement
585-475-5498
sevuadv@rit.edu
Recruit Students and Alumni
RIT’s
cooperative education
(co-op) program provides our employer partners with the best and brightest talent for their workforce. Employers can mentor students as they perform full-time assignments in their field of study for three or six months. Our experienced
Career Services team
will help employer partners design a strong recruiting strategy, target innovative academic disciplines, and connect with students or graduates that best align with their business needs.
Contact
Michelle Magee
Senior Associate Director for Employer Engagement
Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education
Academic Affairs
585-475-7824
mamoce@rit.edu
Learn more about recruiting at RIT
Industry Solutions
RIT’s roots are in industry collaborations. Our faculty and students understand the sense of urgency required to provide solutions. We work with organizations of all sizes and would like to partner with yours.
Contact
Sara Vinch
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
Development
University Advancement
585-475-5498
sevuadv@rit.edu
Research Partnerships
RIT takes great pride in being the go-to partner for your research needs. We provide a variety of standard agreements to stream-line your engagement with the university. Along with our standard Sponsored Research Agreement, we have an Applied Research Agreement to accommodate testing or other applied research projects not expected to generate new IP, Assigned Project Agreements for cases where a sponsor make be seeking IP ownership, and an Educational Agreement that can be used for training activities.
To learn about sponsored research contracting, contact:
Strategic Partnerships
RIT impacts industries across the spectrum through coordinated, strategically valuable relationships that include applied research, solutions development, workforce education, and more. Many of our faculty members have significant and successful experience in industry, and they bring that perspective to their classrooms and labs. This makes RIT’s consultation more relevant and valuable to corporate partners than that of traditional academic partners.
RIT’s strategic partners have said that we redefined the idea of a university/company partnership, and changed their expectations of the results that were possible working with higher education. If you want a partner that will assist your business model across your entire company, few universities offer the breadth and depth of RIT.
Contact
Sara Vinch
Assistant Vice President, Corporate and Foundation Relations
Development
University Advancement
585-475-5498
sevuadv@rit.edu
Technology Licensing
The
Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Office
manages RIT’s intellectual property portfolio and seeks to bring that IP to the marketplace through licensing or assignment. These technologies represent a wide diversity of market applications and range from invention disclosures to issued patents and from early-stage technologies to market-ready products and services.
Contact
Ryne Raffaelle
Vice President for Research
Office of the President
Office of the President
585-475-2055
rprsps@rit.edu
Technologies available for licensing
Technology Business Incubator
RIT
Venture Creations
is a technology business incubator that provides a range of services for early to mid-seed stage startups to help them advance their businesses on their way to joining the ranks of viable, profitable businesses. Located at 40 Franklin Street, in downtown Rochester, the RIT incubator is home to a NYSERDA-sponsored Clean Energy Incubator (CEI), part of the NY State Innovation Hot Spot program, and the point of contact for RIT’s Start-Up NY program.
Learn about our incubator
Corporate Education Programs
RIT offers a broad variety of programs that can help your organization perform at top levels. Nearly every offering can be customized to solve your most immediate problems or build for the future. Plus your business will gain preferred access to RIT’s world-class faculty while we handle the administrative details, ensuring that your programs run smoothly and provide a high return on investment. RIT is also designated as a U.S. Department of Labor OSHA Training Institute Education Center.
RIT offers companies a comprehensive menu of corporate learning options, including:
RIT Certified
Micromasters programs through
RITx
OSHA
training programs
Lean Six Sigma, process improvement, and engineering training
Executive education in
business
and
engineering
Certificate programs in
engineering
and
business
Engineering technology
Training and education programs can be offered online, on campus, or on-site, and can include existing coursework, custom degrees, and stackable microcredentials. Our staff will work with you to determine the best mix of education choices to create your excellent workforce.
Working With National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Deaf and hard-of-hearing co-op students and graduates can give your businesses a competitive advantage by bringing today’s high-tech skills and diversity to the workplace. NTID students and alumni are making a difference in corporations across the nation.
about working with the National Technical Institute for the Deaf
Bryan Hensel
Executive Director
National Technical Institute for the Deaf
585-475-6222
bryan.hensel@rit.edu
Partnership News
April 22, 2026
Freshman Imaging Project brings historic artifacts to new dimension
First-year imaging science and motion picture science students receive immediate hands-on, collaborative experiences as they start their college careers through the Freshman Imaging Project.
April 20, 2026
RIT welcomes UPWARDS partners from U.S. and Japanese universities
Each year, representatives from six U.S. and five Japanese universities meet regularly to discuss curriculum projects, research developments, and collaborations among partners to advance the next generation workforce for the semiconductor industry.
April 17, 2026
Record number of exhibits planned at Imagine RIT
Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival on Saturday features more than 450 exhibits, including electric vehicles, AI robots, and assistive technology.
April 9, 2026
Improved phonon laser developed by Rochester researchers
A joint project between RIT and the University of Rochester has developed a new squeezed phonon laser that provides precise control over individual particles of sound or vibration.
April 2, 2026
Comics scholar wins Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching
Daniel Worden, who teaches comics art and documentary media in the College of Art and Design, is the recipient of an Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching. He is one of many faculty and staff members being recognized this year.
April 1, 2026
Successful space mission shows promise of RIT-led space energy solution
The number of satellites launched into space reached an all-time high in 2025, and that number is expected to increase exponentially within the next decade.
March 26, 2026
Medicine meets its mirror
RIT computing researchers are fusing physics and AI to transform healthcare.
March 25, 2026
Science without borders
Science without borders: RIT turns public participation into global impact.
More Partnership News
Search RIT
This website uses cookies to provide better user experience and functionality. You can control and configure cookies in your web browser.
Cookie Statement
How to Disable Cookies