The Director of Academic and Industry Partnerships for the East Tennessee Health Innovation Alliance (ETHIA) will lead external engagement and corporate recruitment efforts to expand health and medtech focused collaborations and innovation initiatives. This role will focus on building and sustaining academic and industry partnerships, positioning ETHIA to grow the region's health innovation ecosystem. The Director will work with the Associate Vice Chancellor and Executive Director to enhance industry engagement and workforce development efforts, while collaborating with academic units at UTK, healthcare providers, government agencies, and industry stakeholders to align ETHIA's innovation initiatives research, education, and economic development. The Director will develop, execute, and manage partnerships that drive industry participation in ETHIA's activities, fostering innovation and strategic partnerships.
Partnership and Engagement
Lead the development and management of strategic partnerships across health, medtech, life sciences, data/AI, and related sectors aligned with ETHIA’s mission.
Serve as ETHIA’s primary point of contact for academic and industry collaborators, ensuring clear value propositions, mutual benefit, and long-term engagement.
Cultivate relationships with corporate R&D leaders, innovation executives, and business development teams to identify opportunities for collaboration, sponsorship, and co-investment.
Coordinate industry engagement activities with UTK faculty, clinicians, and research leaders to align partnership interests with institutional capabilities.
Represent ETHIA in external meetings, site visits, conferences, and ecosystem-building events to elevate ETHIA’s visibility and credibility.
Design and execute industry-facing programs, consortia, and membership models that drive sustained participation.
Innovation Discovery and Opportunity Development
Identify, assess, and advance opportunities for industry-engaged research, translational projects, and pilot programs across ETHIA’s priority domains.
Work closely with faculty, clinicians, and innovation leaders to translate institutional strengths into industry-relevant collaboration opportunities.
Facilitate early-stage conversations between industry partners and academic or clinical teams to scope projects, define objectives, and align expectations.
Identify partners and lead the formation of multi-partner initiatives that connect discovery research, applied development, and downstream commercialization pathways.
Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to surface emerging industry needs and technology gaps relevant to ETHIA’s ecosystem, making effective recommendations to the AVC and Executive Director regarding the allocation of available resources to meet needs and close gaps.
Build and grow the pipeline for the development of future sponsored research, joint proposals, and industry-aligned innovation initiatives.
Strategic Coordination and Ecosystem Integration
Partner with ETHIA leadership to align external partnerships with broader organizational goals in research, workforce development, and regional economic impact.
Coordinate closely with university offices, healthcare systems, and public-sector partners to ensure coherent and efficient engagement with industry.
Develop partnership frameworks, engagement models, and governance approaches that support scalable collaboration.
Track partnership activities, outcomes, and impact metrics to inform strategy and continuous improvement.
Identify industry-aligned funding, sponsorship, and co-investment opportunities in order to facilitate research development opportunities across the State.
Ensure that industry engagement activities reflect ETHIA’s values, mission, and commitment to long-term regional benefit.