engineering entrepreneurship: a unique cooperation between university and industry
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Engineering Entrepreneurship: A Unique Cooperation Between University and Industry. Gregory P. Crawford Eric M. Suuberg Division of Engineering, Box D Brown University Providence, RI 02912. Advanced Manufacturing Institute Conference on University - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Engineering Entrepreneurship:
A Unique Cooperation Between University and Industry
Engineering Entrepreneurship:
A Unique Cooperation Between University and Industry
Gregory P. CrawfordEric M. Suuberg
Division of Engineering, Box DBrown University
Providence, RI 02912
Gregory P. CrawfordEric M. Suuberg
Division of Engineering, Box DBrown University
Providence, RI 02912
[email protected][email protected]
Advanced Manufacturing Institute Conference on University And Manufacturing Industry Collaboration
Kansas State UniversityAugust 2002
Engineering EntrepreneurshipEngineering Entrepreneurship
Mission StatementTo provide engineering and non-engineeringstudents a truly high-technology entrepreneurial business experience and challenging engineeringdesign experience by interacting with local industry & business professionals.
Funded by the National Science Foundation:Action Agenda for Systemic Engineering Reform EEC-9972938
Course InfrastructureCourse Infrastructure
Rapid Prototyping Facility Entrepreneur Headquarters
• Computers• Internet access• Conference phone• Copy machine• Scanner
• Fax machine• 24 hour access• Laptop• LCD Projector
Make them feel like a real company (responsibility):
Engineering EntrepreneurshipEngineering Entrepreneurship
Engineers Engineers Non-Engineers Non-Engineers Economics Economics PPSO PPSO
Classics Classics English English
Humanities Humanities OBM OBM
Chemical Chemical
Electrical Electrical
Bioengineering Bioengineering
Mechanical Mechanical
Civil Civil
Computer Computer
Materials Materials
InterdisciplinaryEntrepreneurial Student
Companies
InterdisciplinaryEntrepreneurial Student
Companies
NSF Funding NSF Funding Local Industry Local Industry
Practical Lectures Practical Lectures Brown Faculty Brown Faculty
Entrepreneurship Course GoalsEntrepreneurship Course Goals
Semester I Semester I Semester II Semester II
Practical Lectures Practical Lectures
Focus Focus
• teamwork• intellectual property• technical marketing• business plan• case studies
• teamwork• intellectual property• technical marketing• business plan• case studies
• preliminary b-plan• market due diligence• engineering design• colleague evaluation• presentations
• preliminary b-plan• market due diligence• engineering design• colleague evaluation• presentations
Deliverables Deliverables Lectures• venture capital• finances
Lectures• venture capital• finances
• Engineering• Business Plan • Engineering• Business Plan
Winter Break
Requirements• presentations• competitions
Requirements• presentations• competitions
Company Role - Board of DirectorsCompany Role - Board of Directors Company takes on new role -
Investors !
Company takes on new role -
Investors !
Technology Demonstrator
Professional Business Plan
Semester II
Launch ?
Mentor ModelsMentor Models
Product Broad Technology Idea
Search MarketsFind ApplicationsNarrow Concept
Customer Need ProductSearch for Technology Feasibility Integration Narrow Concept
Technology Mentor
Customer Mentor
Intellectual Property / OwnershipIntellectual Property / Ownership
Mentor Company Seeds Idea
Company GivenOwnership of IP
Company relinquishes IP to students
Company retains IP
Student Team Value Creation
Development
Students take new direction and ownership
Ownership OutcomesConception
Proof of Concept
Thoughts from a IP LawyerThoughts from a IP Lawyer
Reference: Neil Ferraro, Wolf Greenfield & Sachs (Boston, MA)Brown Venture Forum, March 2002
Goals
Goals
Create Start-Up
Upperclass Design Course
Product Development for Sponsor Company
All inventors assign rights to sponsoring company
Proceed with no agreements (Probably o.k.)
Assign rights to student company No inventions assigned to sponsor Company co-inventors assign rights to student company Sponsoring company agrees not to receive shop right.
Course TimelineCourse TimelineFo
rm c
om
pan
ies
Meet
men
tors
Seed
Id
ea.
Mark
et
& IP a
nd
Pre
limin
ary
desi
gn
Revie
w.
Pre
limin
ary
b-p
lan
. Tech
nic
al Fe
asi
bili
ty&
desi
gn
revie
w.
August June & July
September December January May
Winter BreakR
eco
nn
ect
wit
h
men
tors
Desi
gn
& p
roto
typ
ere
vie
w
Fin
al re
vie
wB
-pla
n &
pro
toty
pe
Faculty & Guest Lectures Faculty & Guest Lectures
Faculty screen ideas:• No tech service• No product improve- ment
Faculty review b-plans• Technical feasibility• Market feasibility
Faculty assess results:• preparing field manual
Example Course TimelineExample Course TimelineFo
rm c
om
pan
ies
Meet
men
tor
seed
Idea.
Lase
r Fa
reD
irect
Wri
te
Ap
plic
ati
on
Id
eas
Lase
r Fa
re
Pre
limin
ary
b-p
lan
September December January May
Reco
nn
ect
wit
hLa
ser
Fare
Fin
al re
vie
wB
-pla
n &
pro
toty
pe
Vis
it S
cip
eri
o
Vis
it H
asb
ro
Vis
it S
ton
y
Bro
ok
IMS
Vis
its
Bu
sin
ess
Id
eas
Lase
r Fa
reFe
asi
bili
tyLa
ser
Fare
Vis
it S
ton
y
Bro
ok
Sto
ny B
rook
vis
its
Vis
it H
asb
ro
New
Mark
ets
Lase
r Fa
re
RI B
usi
ness
Pla
n
NC
IIA
Pro
posa
ls d
ue
Vis
it IM
S
Bu
sin
ess
Mod
el
Lase
r Fa
reS
ust
ain
bu
sin
ess
Lase
r Fa
re
NC
IIA
Vis
it
ConformanceSolutions
Win
ter
Bre
ak
What we have learnedWhat we have learned
Application by admission only(50% Engineering/50% Non-Engineers)
Sponsoring Companies havestake in success of project
Good Match between project/students
Avoid non-disclosure agreements
• Good Academics• Core Expertise• High Enthusiasm• Year commitment
• Strong Interest• Core Experience• Access to resources & Information
• Technical Expertise• Overlap interests• Watch Strong Personality
• Students Will Talk• No NDA’s• If necessary then ‘good faith’
GradingGrading
Mentor Feedback
Self and Personnel Evaluations
Frequent Interactions
Quality of Work Product
• Presentations• Written work• Engineering design
• Students always suggest pass / fail option (Faculty disagree)• Grades < A, Students either drop out or become motivated• Important to privately discuss performance with students
General Observations
1999-2001 Projects & Partners1999-2001 Projects & Partners
IRIS SolutionsElectronic Shelf Labels (ESL) IRIS SolutionsElectronic Shelf Labels (ESL)
Intrinsic Systems Wireless AutomationIntrinsic Systems Wireless Automation
TS Prince Filtration Bag Technology TS Prince Filtration Bag Technology
MDigitalElectronic Medical Records MDigitalElectronic Medical Records
Handprint Portable Ink Jet Printing Handprint Portable Ink Jet Printing
2000-01
1999-
00
2000-01
1999-
00
1999- 00
1999-2001Companies
2001-2002 Project2001-2002 Project
TechnologyIntegrated hand-held printer technology for small scale portable devices, e.g. PDAs,Palm Pilots, etc.
Initial Market EntryElectronic prescription writingand rounds report printing formedical professionals
PartnerGroup preparing for presentation to:
CompetitionNovel CAD Designs – Side Printing
Electronics (print engine)Rapid Prototyping Case
Smiles when it FITS !
2001-2002 Project 2001-2002 Project
2001-2002 Project2001-2002 Project
TechnologyMagnetorheological (MR) Fluids – Complexfluids that ‘harden’ and ‘soften’ with EM Activation. Potential vibration dampeners
MarketHand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS)-Degenerate nerve and vascular damagecaused by vibrating tools. Construction& vibrating tool operators.
External magnetic field applied
PartnerSensory Technologies, Inc., NOW Afferent
Group preparing for presentation to:
Competition-Passive Dampening
CAD design of tool handle design
Rapid Prototyping
Proof of Concept- preliminary dataacquired in Prince Laboratory
Electronics
2001-2002 Project 2001-2002 Project
2001-2002 Project 2001-2002 ProjectConformance Solutions
TechnologyDirect write machines ‘write’ electrically conductive lines (< ½ human hair)
MarketA disruptive technology designed to place electronics in places that were previously thought impossible.Enabling new applications.
Partner
2001-2002 Project 2001-2002 Project
Gov’t Funding
Local RI Partner Company
Technology Developers
Potential (Local) Customers
Conformance Solutions
2001-2002 Project 2001-2002 ProjectConformance Solutions
Direct-Write in ActionInexpensive Toy Electronics
Success / Work ProductSuccess / Work ProductJournal of Engineering Education Engineering Entrepreneurship: An Example of a Paradigm Shift in Engineering Education (April 2002, page 185)
National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators AllianceFour student teams were awarded $15-20K each to continual their efforts. NCIIA also supported smaller grants for student travel.
Brown Venture ForumDeveloping New Products with Non-Traditional ResourcesMarch 2002
National Science FoundationSuuberg & Crawford preparing field manual for other universitiesDisclose successes and failures of our venture.
Advanced Manufacturing InstituteEngineering Entrepreneurship: A Unique Cooperation BetweenUniversity and Industry, August 12-13, 2001, Kansas State Intellectual Property
Student groups have filed provision patent applications.
Brown Entrepreneurship ProgramFerrosity – 2002 Winner – 25K Award.
Course Goal Assessment Course Goal Assessment Pro
vid
e e
ntr
epre
neuri
al
experi
ence
. Intr
oduce
is
sues
of
IP, te
chnic
al
mark
eti
ng &
busi
ness
eco
nom
ics
Pro
vid
e a
genuin
e
team
work
experi
ence
Pro
vid
e c
halle
ngin
gte
chnic
al desi
gn
experi
ence
Pro
vid
e a
n o
pport
unit
yto
develo
p w
ritt
en a
nd
ora
l co
mm
unic
ati
on
skill
s
18 18 15
3
17
1
DefinitelySomewhatNot at all
18
Compared to other Browncourses that you have taken,do you feel that this experiencewas:
More ValuableComparableLess Valuable
Student TestimoniesStudent Testimonies
“The course bridged the gap between academics and real life. Theory, problem solving, and midterms are fine, but this course used other, more challenging ways to test the students…”
“I think this is by far the best, most applicable, greatest functional class that I have ever taken…”
“This is like the real thing! The professors created real life circumstances in a business environment to develop a technology and apply it to the market demand...”
“It has been one of the more challenging and time consuming courses, but at the same time, more exciting and most rewarding of, probably all course that I have taken at Brown …”
Post CoursePost Course
Education
Is Our
Product
Independent Funding
• RI B-Plan Competition• NCIIA Competition • SBIR Programs• Angles / VCs / Family
NewRelationship
• Relative to Brown
• Relative to Sponsor
SummarySummary
Course is intensive for Students• Engineers Heavy Engin Course• Non-Engineers Very Heavy Load
Faculty resource intensive• 1.5 faculty required for 24 students• Time consuming/ long hours/ late nights
Amazing Opportunity
• Enriching for faculty• Learn something new• Other benefits
• Enriching for students• Business experience• written/oral/presentation skills
AcknowledgementsAcknowledgements
Funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF): Action Agenda for Systemic Engineering Reform
(EEC-9972938)
National Collegiate Inventors & Innovators Alliance (NCIIA):Provided funding for two student teams to carry on their entrepreneurial efforts after the class, and alsoproviding travel funds to students within the class to attend professional workshops and conferences
Division of Engineering for providing funding to create the entrepreneurial headquarters