| IDEA Center |
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| 1400 E. Angela Blvd., South Bend, IN 46617 https://ideacenter.nd.edu Contact: James Thompson, jthomp22@nd.edu Twitter: @ndideacenter |
Education and Technology Commercialization | |
| Role(s) | • The IDEA Center is the University of Notre Dame’s collaborative innovation hub dedicated to expanding the technological and societal impact of the University’s innovations. We do this by nurturing and facilitating the movement of the best ideas of faculty, staff, and students from discovery to commercial application. • The Center provides the necessary space, services, and expertise for idea development, commercialization, business formation, prototyping, entrepreneurial education, and student entrepreneurial efforts. • The Center is open to any University researcher and student with an idea they want to commercialize. |
| Mission | Unlock Discoveries. Fuel Genius. Advance the Common Good. |
| History | January 2017 – Created by the University |
| Org | Staff of 30, including technology managers, patent specialists, and investment fund professionals Leadership: • Kelley Rich, Interim VP (krich2@nd.edu) • James Thompson, associate director (jthomp22@nd.edu) |
| Board | Private information |
| Finance | Private information |
| Data Source | N/A |
| Data Access | N/A |
| Tech Capabilities | • Ability to de-risk technologies. The IDEA Center takes early-stage disclosures through the process of derisking and transforms them into life-changing and productive applications. • Prototype development. The IDEA Center’s Innovation Lab is equipped with all the latest equipment capable of creating prototypes for early-stage inventions in a variety of industries and disciplines. |
| Projects | The IDEA Center measures its projects by startups. Notable startups from past years include promising life science companies like Claris Genomics, which is commercializing a colon cancer diagnostic; VitalView which is commercializing a no touch-fluid build-up sensor; TayCo Brace, which sells a highly stable ankle brace; and SalvePeds, which is creating a topical drug treatment for diabetic foot ulcers. The following is a more comprehensive list of recent startups from 2021-2022. (More information on startups is available on the center’s social media.) • Dawere - Student led • Lucia – Student led • Rides2U – Student led • Innovative Gaming – Student led • Platform – Student led • Friendover – Student led • Mound Power, LLC – Student led • LifeDrive – Student led • roboMUA – Student led • Groupuest – Student led • Groundata Technologies – Student • BLYTZ – Student • Stargo – Alumni • Quality of Sobriety - Community led • Tessellated – Faculty led |
| Future Focus | To increase the number of life-science and medical technologies |
| Talent Development | Multiple young entrepreneur mentoring programs, including Startup Associate program, Race to Revenue and the Pit Road CEO program. The new Startup Associate program teaches early career professionals how to build and fund a new venture by having them act as CEO of a university technology from development to spinout. |
| Data Sharing Agreements | N/A |
| Programs/ Publications | https://ideacenter.nd.edu/news-events/ |
| Resources | https://ideacenter.nd.edu/about/ |