Partnership

The Charlotte Super Fab Lab partners with companies to build long-term relationships that advance workforce development, applied innovation, and regional manufacturing capability through a student-led, staff-supervised model. Partners support hands-on learning and gain meaningful access to talent, facilities, and structured engagement pathways. Whether your goal is recruiting, prototyping support, applied R&D, or community impact, we can tailor a partnership that fits your priorities.

Why partner with the Super Fab Lab

  • Talent pipeline: Early access to motivated students with real build experience
  • Applied learning: Sponsor projects that develop job-ready skills
  • Innovation support: Enable prototyping and process exploration in a controlled environment
  • Visibility & impact: Demonstrate commitment to workforce, education, and the region
  • Connection point: Engage across Engineering and Computing/AI disciplines

Ways to partner

Student Project Sponsorship

Support defined, real-world projects where students deliver prototypes, test fixtures, tooling, or validation builds under staff oversight.
Best for: Product teams, innovation groups, internal “backlog” challenges, low-risk exploration.

Workforce Development & Training

Co-design workshops, short courses, or certification-style training aligned with your hiring needs (manufacturing, design for manufacturing, digital fabrication, etc.).
Best for: HR, operations leaders, upskilling initiatives.

Applied Research & Lab Collaboration

Engage faculty/staff oversight with students to explore new materials, processes, or workflows.
Best for: R&D teams, emerging tech, process improvement.

Equipment Capability Engagement

Help expand lab capacity through equipment sponsorship, tooling/material donations, or support for specific capability areas.
Best for: Companies aligned with manufacturing technology, automation, metrology, additive, etc.

Recruiting & Brand Engagement

Host info sessions, facility tours, “problem pitch” days, or on-site challenges that connect your team directly with students.
Best for: Recruiting, employer branding, early talent programs.

Partner Level 1: Engagement

A light-touch on-ramp focused on recruiting and connection.
Typical elements: tours, event participation, student engagement, project introductions.

Partner Level 2: Collaboration

Recurring involvement with defined student projects and shared programming.
Typical elements: sponsored projects, structured touchpoints, priority scheduling for student-led work, co-hosted events.

Partner Level 3: Strategic Partner

Deep, multi-touch collaboration tied to workforce, innovation, and capability-building.
Typical elements: multi-project pipeline, workforce training, visibility, advisory involvement, and targeted capability enablement.

Note: Partnership elements are customized—your level is determined by engagement goals, not a one-size-fits-all package.

What to expect

  • Partnerships are student-centered and structured for safety, scope clarity, and professional outcomes.
  • We define goals, timelines, points of contact, and success metrics up front.
  • If work involves sensitive IP or publishable outcomes, we align the pathway early.

Start a partnership conversation

To get started, send us:

  • Your partnership goals (recruiting, workforce training, prototyping, applied R&D, etc.)
  • Preferred timeline (this semester / year-long / multi-year)
  • Any project ideas or capability areas of interest
  • A primary point of contact