While the Supply Chain Exchange offers a broad window into industry trends, Custom Sponsored Research allows your organization to direct MIT CTL’s world-class intellectual capital toward your specific strategic challenges.

By sponsoring research within our core areas of expertise, companies move beyond general findings to gain proprietary insights and actionable models tailored to their unique operational footprint.

 

Strategic Areas of Expertise

We execute custom research projects across domains that define the modern supply chain. These areas provide the framework for our researchers, ensuring that even the most bespoke projects are grounded in deep institutional knowledge.

1. Supply Chain Resilience & Risk

  • The Executive Question: How do we anticipate, absorb, and recover from disruptions?
  • Focus: Custom stress-testing, resilience modeling, and design for volatility.

2. Digital & Intelligent Supply Chains

  • The Executive Question: How do we use data, AI, and automation to make better decisions faster?
  • Focus: Bespoke AI applications, predictive sensing, and decision-support optimization.

3. Sustainable & Responsible Supply Chains

  • The Executive Question: How do we grow profitably while meeting environmental and social expectations?
  • Focus: Carbon footprint modeling, circular economy design, and social impact metrics.

4. Supply Chain Network Design & Transformation

  • The Executive Question: How should we design and transform networks to meet strategic goals?
  • Focus: End-to-end network redesign and strategic transformation roadmaps.

5. Supply Chains in Emerging Markets

  • The Executive Question: How do supply chains need to adapt in emerging and developing economies?
  • Focus: Adapting logistics to infrastructure constraints and unique institutional market dynamics.

6. Freight Transportation & Logistics Systems

  • The Executive Question: How do freight transportation systems shape overall supply chain performance?
  • Focus: Deep-dive analysis of truck, ocean, and intermodal logistics efficiency.
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Why Sponsor Custom Research?

Custom sponsorship allows your organization to de-risk innovation while gaining a competitive lead.
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• Bespoke Knowledge Transfer: Direct, in-depth transfer of research findings and experimental results specific to your project.

• Shared Risk & Resource: Leverage MIT’s infrastructure and expertise to conduct high-stakes experiments and pilots that would be cost-prohibitive to run internally.

• Exclusive "Under-the-Hood" Access: Gain insights that go far beyond published results—including raw data and lessons learned from the experimental phase.

• Personalized Academic Pipeline: Build direct, working relationships with the faculty, researchers, and students who are specifically tasked with solving your challenges.

Engagement & Investment

Custom Sponsored Research is a standalone engagement, independent of Exchange membership.

Fees for sponsored research are determined by the scope of the research activity, the duration of the project, and the resources required. This model ensures that your investment is directly proportional to the complexity and strategic value of the work being performed.

Ready to define a project?

Our researchers across all of the areas of expertise are available to discuss how custom research can address your organization's specific needs. Reach out to start exploring your specialized project.
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