Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Gregory P. Crawford
Eric M. Suuberg
Division of Engineering, Box D
Brown University
Providence, RI 02912
Advanced Manufacturing Institute Conference on University
And Manufacturing Industry Collaboration
Kansas State University
August 2002
Gregory_Crawford@Brown.Edu
Eric_Suuberg@Brown.Edu
Engineering Entrepreneurship
Mission Statement
To provide engineering and non-engineering
students a truly high-technology entrepreneurial
business experience and challenging engineering
design experience by interacting with local
industry & business professionals.
Practical Lectures
Brown Faculty
Entrepreneurship Course Goals
Semester I Semester II
Company Role -
Board of Directors Company takes on new role -
Winter
Practical Lectures
Break Investors !
• teamwork
• intellectual property Requirements
• technical marketing • presentations Technology
• business plan • competitions Demonstrator
• case studies • Engineering Launch ?
• Business Plan
Deliverables Lectures Professional
• preliminary b-plan • venture capital Business Plan
• market due diligence • finances
• engineering design
• colleague evaluation
• presentations
Focus Semester II
Mentor Models
Technology Mentor
Broad Search Markets
Technology Find Applications Product
Idea Narrow Concept
Customer Mentor
Student Team
Conception Ownership Outcomes
Value Creation
Mentor Company Students take new
Seeds Idea direction and ownership
Development
Company retains IP
Proof of Concept
Company Given Company relinquishes IP
to students
Ownership of IP
Thoughts from a IP Lawyer
All inventors assign rights to
sponsoring company
Goals Product Development
for Sponsor
Company Assign rights to student company
No inventions assigned to sponsor
Create Start-Up Company co-inventors assign
rights to student company
Sponsoring company agrees not to
receive shop right.
Upperclass Design
Goals Course
Proceed with no agreements
(Probably o.k.)
Technical Feasibility
Reconnect with
Meet mentors
Final review
Seed Idea.
mentors
Review.
review
September December January May
Faculty & Guest Lectures Faculty & Guest Lectures
Solutions
Idea. Laser Fare
Conformance
September
Direct Write
Sustain business
visits
Laser Fare
Visit IMS
RI Business Plan
NCIIA Visit
NCIIA Proposals due
May
Final review
B-plan & prototype
What we have learned
• Good Academics
Application by admission only • Core Expertise
(50% Engineering/50% Non-Engineers) • High Enthusiasm
• Year commitment
• Strong Interest
Sponsoring Companies have • Core Experience
stake in success of project • Access to resources
& Information
• Technical Expertise
Good Match between project/students • Overlap interests
• Watch Strong
Personality
Frequent Interactions
General Observations
• Students always suggest pass / fail option (Faculty disagree)
• Grades < A, Students either drop out or become motivated
• Important to privately discuss performance with students
1999-2001 Projects & Partners
MDigital
Electronic Medical Records
TS Prince
Intrinsic Systems Filtration Bag Technology
Wireless Automation
2000-
01
1999-2001
Companies
IRIS Solutions
Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL)
Handprint
Portable Ink Jet Printing
2001-2002 Project
Technology
Integrated hand-held printer technology
for small scale portable devices, e.g. PDAs,
Palm Pilots, etc.
Partner
Group preparing for presentation to:
2001-2002 Project
Competition
Novel CAD Designs – Side Printing
Technology
Magnetorheological (MR) Fluids – Complex
fluids that ‘harden’ and ‘soften’ with EM
Activation. Potential vibration dampeners
Market
Hand Arm Vibration Syndrome (HAVS)-
Degenerate nerve and vascular damage
caused by vibrating tools. Construction
& vibrating tool operators.
Partner Group preparing for presentation to:
Sensory Technologies, Inc.,
NOW Afferent
2001-2002 Project
Competition- CAD design of tool Rapid Prototyping
Passive Dampening handle design
Electronics
Technology
Direct write machines ‘write’ electrically
conductive lines (< ½ human hair)
Market
A disruptive technology designed to
place electronics in places that were
previously thought impossible.
Enabling new applications.
Partner
Conformance
2001-2002 Project Solutions
Gov’t Funding
Technology Developers
18
marketing & business
economics
Not at all
Definitely
Provide a genuine
Somewhat
18
teamwork experience
Provide challenging
technical design
3
15
experience
Provide an opportunity
to develop written and
1
17
oral communication
skills
was:
Course Goal Assessment
18
Comparable
Compared to other Brown
Less Valuable
More Valuable
courses that you have taken,
do you feel that this experience
Student 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…”
“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 Course
• RI B-Plan Competition
Independent • NCIIA Competition
Funding • SBIR Programs
• Angles / VCs / Family Education
Is
Our
Product
New • Relative to Brown
Relationship • Relative to Sponsor
Summary