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A UK utility recently commissioned a university engineering research department to help it draw up guidelines for seismic assessments with the aid of a conslting engineer. In addition to producing a useful new guidebook for the civil engineering profession as a whole, the utility has benefitted directly from practical new research, and both industrial partners have increased their visibility to undergraduate and post graduate students. It demonstrates that there are real benefits to be had from greater collaboration between industry and academia, even though this may not be immediately obvious from the outset. This paper describes the research project that started it all off—a critical investigation into the seismic vulnerability of the reservoir towers and dam gates—and how the relationship subsequently developed.