Collaboration and innovation that advance humankind are at the core of Northeastern’s DNA. By partnering with Northeastern in Oakland, your organization can break new ground, make new discoveries, and solve your most pressing challenges.

Solutions that advance your enterprise

Fast-track innovation

  • Reduce R&D risk by partnering with faculty experts to test ideas before major investment.
  • Tap into cutting-edge expertise across disciplines—including AI, health and business—to tackle complex challenges.
  • Move from concept to market faster with streamlined tech transfer and joint IP development.
  • Scale solutions with our blend of global resources, groundbreaking research, student talent, and San Francisco Bay Area industry ties.

Transform barriers into breakthroughs

  • Turn business challenges into class projects, with students and faculty tackling your actual needs—not theoretical scenarios. 
  • Gain fresh, unbiased insights from diverse student teams applying cutting-edge research and creative thinking.
  • Accelerate outcomes through six-week innovation sprints that deliver prototypes, strategies, and actionable results.
  • Scale your impact by engaging multiple teams across projects, achieving in weeks what would otherwise take months.

Build a pipeline of exceptional talent

  • Connect early with top-tier students through exclusive pipelines like Experiential Treks, speaker series, and partner-only events.
  • Build your future workforce through co-ops and internships that let you assess emerging talent while advancing current projects.
  • Collaborate with our talent experts to connect with ideal candidates using our deep insights into student skills and career paths. 
  • Hire work-ready graduates who blend academic excellence with real-world experience to deliver immediate impact.

Elevate performance through dynamic learning

  • Upskill your workforce with programs designed to meet evolving business needs and team goals.
  • Strengthen leadership and team dynamics through practical, results-driven learning experiences.
  • Prepare employees to thrive in fast-changing environments with real-world applications and measurable outcomes.
  • Choose from executive development, technical training, or custom corporate learning built around your priorities.
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See who we’re working with

Northeastern in Oakland provides our partners with the talent and solutions they need to break new ground and thrive in a tech-driven world. Here are just some of the organizations with whom we’re proud to partner: 

  • Adverum Biotechnologies 
  • Ambi Robotics 
  • Databricks 
  • Golden State Warriors 
  • Google 
  • GreenBiz 
  • Intuit 
  • Kaiser Permanente 
  • KQED 
  • Marqeta 
  • Oakland Zoo 
  • Onto Innovation 
  • Paypal 
  • Pixar Animation Studios 
  • Rondo Energy 
  • Salesforce 
  • SAP 
  • Stanford Medicine 
  • T-Mobile 
  • Port of Oakland 
  • Zoox
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Elevate your workforce

Finding local talent to advance your organizational goals is easier with support from Northeastern. Ready to connect with our world-class students and tap into their skills?

California partnerships in action

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Creating community solutions together

How does collaboration fuel innovation? Northeastern’s Burnes Center for Social Change, Mills College at Northeastern, the City of Oakland, the Oakland Fund for Public Innovation, and GovLab teamed up to solve some of the city’s toughest problems.

Under this initiative, Oakland residents proposed concrete ideas for addressing homeless encampments, violent crime, abandoned vehicles, and illegal dumping. Northeastern coached the winners, empowering them to transform their visions into real community benefits.

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Leading the way to responsible AI

As we set the standard for deep adoption of AI in education, we’re also collaborating across disciplines and sectors to develop the frameworks for responsible AI deployment.

In February 2025, we gathered more than 500 leaders in tech, research, and nonprofits at Northeastern’s Oakland campus to advance the conversation at the Responsible AI in Practice Summit. Experts like Ricardo Baeza-Yates (director of research at Northeastern’s Institute for Experiential AI), Lili Gangas (chief technology community officer at the Kapor Foundation) and Wael Mahmoud (technical machine learning lead for trust and safety at Airbnb) all came together to emphasize the importance of representing all voices who use this technology and how systems must adapt as populations change. 

The summit highlighted how we’re leading the way in helping organizations navigate challenges presented by AI technologies.

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Improving urban planning and public health

Researchers and undergraduate students from our Oakland campus are working with the city of Hayward to see if policy that prevents smoking in apartment buildings provides health benefits, like reducing asthma and cancer.  

The study leverages expertise from Northeastern faculty in public health and urban planning. Together, their findings could point Hayward leaders to new data-driven solutions.

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Showcase your organization, draw future talent  

Comprising an on-site tour and discussion with your leadership, Experiential Treks enable students to see your company’s drive for innovation and collaboration in action. It also enhances their understanding of the unique challenges your enterprise faces.

In return, you’ll meet smart, motivated students eager to make an impact. Connecting with them provides a source of fresh perspectives, establishes a pipeline of future contributors, and enhances your firm’s reputation in the eyes of future leaders.

Learn how to host an Experiential Trek

Put the power of Northeastern to work for you

Talk with our knowledgeable Northeastern in Oakland, team to see how easy it is to benefit from our faculty experts, R1 research facilities, global resources, and talented student body.

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