Affiliations: H. Milton School of Industrial and Systems
Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, GA, USA. Tel.:
+1 404 894 8885; Fax: +1 404 894 7035; E-mail: cross@gatech.edu
Abstract: The Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), a major research
university in the United States of America, has a legacy culture of embedding
innovation throughout its education and research programs and thus an important
role in facilitating economic development within its region. A new strategic
vision introduced in 2010 to guide Georgia Tech's role nationally and
internationally, included a systems approach to support faculty-led research
concurrently with a focus on maximizing industry and societal benefit. The
systems approach guides research infrastructure investments into core research
areas and institute-wide support for discovery, application, and deployment
functions. It also provides a venue for students to discover and explore
disruptive innovations. This paper explores the similarities and differences
between systems engineering in an industry setting and in the implementation of
a university-based research strategy. Examples are cited from ongoing research
in robotics, energy systems, health care technology, and advanced
manufacturing.