IIT ANNOUNCES NEW RESOURCE TO FOSTER ENTREPRENEURSHIP
INVENTION TO VENTURE WORKSHOP
There is a tremendous untapped entrepreneurial resource in the intellectual capital and ambitions of the students and faculty on the campuses of U.S. colleges and universities. In an effort to nurture and encourage this resource, National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA) has initiated Invention to Venture, intensive, one-day workshops in technology-driven entrepreneurship for students, faculty, and members of the local entrepreneurial community.
Illinois Institute of Technology(IIT), in partnership with NCIAA, will serve as host for a regional workshop in Chicago, Saturday, November 22, 2003. The seminar is free and will take place from 8 a.m.-7 p.m. at the Hermann Union Building, 3241 S. Federal Street. As many as 250 participants will discover how to turn an idea into a new product venture, and will connect with the local people and programs that can help them turn their ideas into a reality.
The workshops provide an exciting opportunity for participants to learn tech entrepreneurship basics, build their networks, and develop plans for moving their ideas forward.
Workshop Topics Include:
- Evaluating your ideas
- Legal considerations
- Licensing
- Defining needs and identifying customers
- Finding the money
- Perfecting your business plan
Invention to Venture is a project of the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), an alliance of nearly 200 colleges and universities across the U.S. The mission of The Alliance is to foster experiential invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship education in institutions of higher learning across the United States. The NCIIA offers its members access to grants, resources and networking opportunities to help them develop and institutionalize creative and entrepreneurial curricula. To learn more about the NCIIA and its programs, visit www.nciia.org.
An exciting sponsorship opportunity
Pilot support for the Invention to Venture project comes from the Ewing Marion Kauffmann Foundation and The Lemelson Foundation. Additional sponsorship at both regional and national levels is provided by corporations, foundations, and government entities. To learn more about sponsorship, call Joseph Steig at (413) 587-2157 or e-mail info@nciia.org.
To find out more, contact Tom Jacobious, director of Interprofessional Studies and the IPRO program at 312.567.3986 or jacobius@iit.edu.
Founded in 1890, IIT is a Ph.D.-granting technological university awarding degrees in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, as well as architecture, psychology, design, business and law. IIT’s interprofessional, technology-focused curriculum prepares the university’s 6,200 students for leadership roles in an increasingly complex and culturally diverse global workplace.
