The following is a list of NCIIA's resource partners. Click on an above link to learn more about each partner.
Click here for additional NCIIA resources, such as our Request for Proposals application and our Entrepreneurship guides!
N2TEC, the National Network for Technology Entrepreneurship and Commercialization, is a National Science Foundation—Partnerships for Innovation Project with the purpose of raising the level of innovation and technology commercialization in colleges, universities, and communities across the nation. N2TEC will do this by creating a network that will pool the resources and knowledge of colleges and universities as well as public/private partners, and through a variety of technologies, enable faculty and students to share resources and collaborate without regard to geographic boundaries. The University of Southern California received the $600,000 award and raised an additional $600,000 in cash and in-kind contributions to support the build-out and testing of the various components of the project. Project partners who are contributing major pieces of the network include NCIIA, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, Caltech, Claremont Graduate University, Cornell University, University of Pittsburgh, California State University Fresno, University of Arkansas, University of Nevada-Reno, NASA-Ames, California Technology Trade and Commerce, and the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation.
N2TEC will give partners, especially under-served schools, access to resources they could not generate on their own. Private sector partners will supply needed technology, resources, professional expertise, and support for the development of the network. N2TEC will offer a unique opportunity for E-Teams to be formed across several schools and be mentored by experts from anywhere in the country.
The network goes well beyond the Internet community it is creating to offer unique collaborative resources and opportunities. For example, the University of Pittsburgh is offering rapid prototyping services to faculty and students who use the N2TEC network. The USC Engineering and Technology Transfer Center is providing IP data mining software for finding technologies and testing them through specialty user groups on the Internet. CSU Fresno is leading the effort to develop commercialization curricula that will give users the skills they need to effectively take a technology from discovery to market. These are just a few of the activities and resources planned for development over the two-period of the grant.
N2TEC is open to member schools of the NCIIA who will be able to access much of the content and some of the resources at no charge. Partner-level participation and access to higher-level resources like expert services, E-Team resources, and high-end collaboration technologies will be available to those schools that choose to become partners by contributing to the building of N2TEC. The structure for becoming a partner and accessing these resources is in development.
For more information, contact Kathleen Allen, N2TEC project director, 213-740-0659, kallen@marshall.usc.edu or visit the N2TEC site at www.n2tec.org
Rapid Prototyping Proect
The National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance and the Swanson Center for Product Innovation (SCPI) are collaborating on a special pilot project. The aim of the project is to determine whether the availability of rapid prototyping services will help E-Teams expedite the progress of their ideas to market.
E-Teams affiliated with NCIIA member institutions are eligible to participate in the pilot project. The NCIIA is making funds available for a number of teams to design and prototype new products using SCPI's rapid prototyping capabilities. To submit your proposal, visit www.nciia.org/resources/SCPI.html
The John A. Swanson Ceter for Product Innovation (SCPI)
SCPI is a set of four unique, state-of-the-art laboratories dedicated to all phases of product development: conception, design, prototyping, and manufacturing. This multi-million dollar facility is one of the first of its kind in the U.S. to focus on a comprehensive new product development experience for students.
To learn more, visit http://jamaica.ee.pitt.edu:82/movie.html
The Wisconsin Innovation Service Center (WISC) has helped thousands of entrepreneurs and inventors make intelligent new product and market decisions. WISC, in partnership with the NCIIA, conducts market and technical feasibility assessments of new product ideas for NCIIA members. WISC has been a significant contributor to the development and success of many new products.
For more information, visit: http://academics.uww.edu/business/innovate/innovate.htm
MentorNet is The E-Mentoring Network for Women in Engineering and Science. MentorNet pairs women who are studying engineering or science at their of our participating colleges or universities with professional scientists and engineers working in industry, and helps them form email-based mentoring relationships. MentorNet is a nonprofit initiative sponsored through grants. The NCIIA is working on a joint project with MentorNet to develop a print and web resource for the use of E-Team participants, both mentors and protégés.
To learn more about MentorNet, visit http://www.mentornet.net
the collegiate inventors competition®
The Collegiate Inventors Competition is an international competition designed to encourage college students active in science, engineering, mathematics, technology and creative invention, while stimulating their problem-solving abilities. While encouraging student/advisor relationships, innovations, and creative problem solving, the Collegiate Inventors Competition seeks to stimulate excitement and interest in technology and economic leadership. By recognizing creative people, we can accomplish these goals.
Deadline: May 31, 2002 http://www.invent.org/collegiate