Industry engagement with control research: perspective and messages

"Despite the enormous benefit that has accrued to society from control technology and the continuedvitality of control science as a research field, there is broad consensus that the practitioners of control andthe academic research community are insufficiently engaged with each other. We explore this concernwith reference to the oft-cited theory/practice gap but also from an industry perspective. The core ofthis article is comprised of ten “messages,”intended primarily for researchers interested in the practicalimpact of their work, that we hope shed insight on the industry mindset. Results from surveys and otherdata are cited to underpin the points. Some educational synergies between industry and academia arealso noted. To highlight the continuing relevance of control science to industry, several recent examples ofsuccessful, deployed advanced control solutions are presented. The authors of this article are members ofthe IFAC Industry Committee, formally established in 2017 with objectives that include (per the updatedIFAC Constitution) “increasing industry participation in and impact from IFAC activities.”"