Enhancing the Technology and Design Entrepreneurship and Innovation Ecosystem at Rochester Institute of Technology

位于罗切斯特理工学院(RIT)的i-Corps网站将提高可商业化学生项目的质量和数量，利用其在多样性和体验式学习方面的核心优势，推动创新、创业和商业化成果。RIT在创新方面有过往记录。2012年，西蒙创新创业中心的学生孵化器培养了大约100个多学科团队。这些团队得到了西蒙中心教师创新委员会的支持，其中包括来自RIT所有学院的代表。来自NSF i-Corp计划的资金将增加获得原型/概念验证用品、教练费用和探索性客户市场活动资金的团队数量。西蒙斯中心的创业方法是经验式的和多学科的。RIT是i-Corps网站的先驱，因为它有体验式学习的历史(合作伙伴、行业关系、课堂从业者的历史等)。以及它的节目多样性。西蒙中心的项目以一种整体的方式整合了技术、设计和商业视角。团队同时参加一个项目，由一群经验丰富的行业企业家和产品开发人员进行正式培训和课程，并每周进行指导。这项提议在几个方面对社会和罗切斯特地区产生了更广泛的影响：--创业型资产的创建：RIT将增加毕业生的数量，重点是STEM和具有商业创造/技术商业化知识、经验和团队的设计，这些知识、经验和团队在他们的职业生涯中培养创新的技能。-新的风险投资：学生孵化器已经并将继续创造各种公司，这些公司已经并将继续为苦苦挣扎的罗切斯特地区带来增长和经济发展。-管道开发：RIT将为潜在的新企业提供种子前/早期管道。-成功的本科生创新过程：该计划促进和促进平衡的学生团队、经验丰富的指导和获得大学支持服务(原型实验室、教职员工和其他专业知识)的发展。-与现有的企业孵化器整合：西蒙中心的项目和活动以早期业务发展为目标。西蒙中心的学生孵化器计划将其投资准备项目/业务过渡到现有的RIT孵化器，使每个单位能够专注于新企业创建的特定阶段。这也是一个潜在的学习和传播过程。这是一个为大量聋人学生(全国最大的人口)服务的机构的一个项目。它制定了适合这些学生和其他RIT学生探索创业和创新的流程-90%的RIT学生参与了合作体验。网站设计以学生为中心，具有推出创新产品和让学生沉浸在创业课程中的共同影响。RIT有着成功的记录--尤其是，他们有推出“以游戏为中心”和视觉媒体产品的历史。该网站有可能在该国经济低迷的地区产生巨大的地区影响。有一大群志愿者愿意指导学生，还有一个顾问委员会来指导这些项目。

This I-Corps Site at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) will increase the quality and quantity of commercializable student projects, leveraging its core strengths in diversity and experiential learning to advance innovation, entrepreneurship, and commercialization outcomes. RIT has a track record for innovation. The Simone Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship's Student Incubator advanced approximately 100 multidisciplinary teams during 2012. These teams are supported by the Simone Center's faculty Innovation Council with representatives from all of RIT's colleges. Funding from the NSF I-Corp program will expand the number of teams that will receive funding for prototyping/proof of concepts supplies, coach expense, and exploratory customer market activities. The Simones Center's approach to entrepreneurship is experiential and multidisciplinary. RIT is situated to pioneer an I-Corps Site because of its history with experiential learning (coop, industry relationships, history of practitioners in the classroom etc.) and its program diversity. The Simone Center programs integrate technology, design, and business perspectives in a holistic manner. Teams simultaneously enter a program with formalized training and curriculum and weekly coaching by an experienced cohort of industry-based entrepreneurs and product developers. This proposal provides broader impacts to society and Rochester region in several ways:-The Creation of Entrepreneurial Assets: RIT will increase the number of graduates with an emphasis on STEM and design with business creation/tech commercialization knowledge, experience, and teams building skills to innovate throughout their careers.-New Ventures: The Student Incubator has and will continue to create a variety of companies that have growth and provided economic development to the struggling Rochester Region. -Pipeline Development: RIT will provide a pre-seed/early stage pipeline for potential new ventures. -Successful Undergraduate Innovation Processes: This program promotes and advances the development of balanced student teams, experienced coaching, and access to university support services (prototyping labs, faculties, and other expertise). -Integration with a Preexisting Business Incubator: The Simone Center's programs and events target early stage business development. The Simone Center's Student Incubator Program transitions its investment ready projects/businesses to the pre-existing RIT Incubator allows each unit to focus on the a specific stage of new venture creation. This is also a potential process for learning and dissemination.This is a project at an institution that serves a very large population of deaf students (the largest population in the nation). It has processes in place that will accommodate those and the other RIT students to explore entrepreneurship and innovation - 90% of all RIT students engage in a co-op experience. The Site design is student-centric, having the joint impact of launching innovative products and immersing students in an entrepreneurship curriculum. RIT has a track record of successes - in particular, they have a history of launching "game-centric" and visual media products.The Site has the potential to have a large regional impact in a part of the country that has been economically depressed. There is a large team of volunteers willing to mentor students as well as an Advisory Board to guide the programs.