# UK hosts convening on AI partnerships between university and industry **Published:** 2026-08-03T23:23:39.000Z **Source:** [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-happenings/economic-development-collaborative-host-convening-university-industry-ai-partnerships) **AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) **Canonical:** https://feeds.lexingtonky.news/article/uk-hosts-convening-on-ai-partnerships-between-university-and-industry LEXINGTON, Ky. — The [Economic Development Collaborative at the University of Kentucky](https://edc.uky.edu/) will host a convening focused on bridging the gap between academic artificial intelligence research and industry needs on Aug. 26. The event, "From Needs to Actions: Building AI Partnerships for Kentucky," will run from 1 to 3 p.m. at UK's Esports Theater in The Cornerstone and bring together university AI practitioners and corporate leaders to identify partnership opportunities. "This convening is about turning conversation into action," said Heath Price, associate vice president for partnerships at UK and an Economic Development Collaborative steering committee member. "By bringing UK's focus on building strategies to approach AI responsibly together with the needs of Kentucky industry, we can build partnerships that create real, lasting economic impact for the commonwealth." The agenda will feature presentations and moderated panel discussions. [Shirley Mitchell, director of CATS AI](https://catsai.uky.edu/), will present insights into the [Commonwealth AI Transdisciplinary Strategy Alliance](https://catsai.uky.edu/). UK panelists will include Adam Recktenwald, chief technology innovation officer; Katie Thompson, Ph.D., professor of statistics and director of the ALT Hub; and Tama Thé, M.D., a pediatric emergency medicine physician. Industry representatives from Lockheed Martin and Bullard will share their AI needs and opportunities for collaboration. [UK has an existing partnership with Lockheed Martin focused on advancing engineering, materials, energy and manufacturing technology](https://mae.engr.uky.edu/news/uk-lockheed-martin-partner-driving-innovation-advanced-engineering). The program will conclude with a structured networking reception featuring table discussions where attendees can explore potential partnerships. "Innovation happens when great research meets real-world need," said Ian McClure, vice president for innovation at UK HealthCare and executive director of UK Innovate. "This event gives us a chance to listen closely to industry, identify where UK's research and talent can make a difference, and build the partnerships that will drive Kentucky's economy and community forward." The event is free and open to the UK community and the general public. [Registration is encouraged and available online](http://lp.constantcontactpages.com/ev/reg/rd8rtsu/lp/cf686001-63ce-4ddd-84c0-9f6e56c3aa05). The Economic Development Collaborative seeks to advance economic impact by connecting university resources with regional and state goals through programming and partnerships aligned with UK's Advancing Kentucky Together initiative. ## Sources - [University of Kentucky News](https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-happenings/economic-development-collaborative-host-convening-university-industry-ai-partnerships) - [UK CATS AI Initiative](https://catsai.uky.edu/) - [UK-Lockheed Martin Partnership](https://mae.engr.uky.edu/news/uk-lockheed-martin-partner-driving-innovation-advanced-engineering) --- This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from University of Kentucky News, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://uknow.uky.edu/uk-happenings/economic-development-collaborative-host-convening-university-industry-ai-partnerships.