Carnegie Mellon University agreed on Tuesday to enter a strategic partnership with venture capital firm Chrysalix Venture Capital aimed at uncovering commercial technologies in industrial sectors.

The agreement could lead to a “brain trust” that will seek responses to changes in resource-intensive industries including oil and gas, electricity and utilities, chemicals and materials, manufacturing, agriculture and transportation and mobility. 

The partnership appears to relate specifically to robotic technology, though further confirmation was not provided.

Chrysalix collaborates with a network of corporate partners on challenges that could be met by businesses based on university research.

The VC firm also has agreements in place with University of Waterloo and Delft University of Technology. Chrysalix launched a $112m robotics fund with Delft-affiliated robotics centre RoboValley in June 2016.

Martial Hebert, director of the Robotics Institute at Carnegie Mellon, said: “What sets us apart from other schools of robotics is that our students and faculty are always thinking about how our systems will work in the real world.

“What need does it fill? Who will use it? Chrysalix helps answer these questions and puts real money behind projects with high potential.”