Engineering Entrepreneurship:

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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 And Manufacturing Industry
Collaboration Kansas State University August 2002
Gregory_Crawford_at_Brown.Edu Eric_Suuberg_at_Brown.Edu
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Engineering Entrepreneurship
Mission Statement
To provide engineering and non-engineering student
s a truly high-technology entrepreneurial
business experience and challenging
engineering design experience by interacting with
local industry business professionals.
Funded by the National Science
Foundation Action Agenda for Systemic
Engineering Reform
EEC-9972938
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Course Infrastructure
Rapid Prototyping Facility
Entrepreneur Headquarters
Make them feel like a real company
(responsibility)

• Computers
• Internet access
• Conference phone
• Copy machine
• Scanner

• Fax machine
• 24 hour access
• Laptop
• LCD Projector

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Engineering Entrepreneurship
Engineers
Non-Engineers
Civil
Economics
Bioengineering
PPSO
Chemical
Classics
Mechanical
English
Electrical
Computer
OBM
Humanities
Materials
Afferent
Interdisciplinary Entrepreneurial Student
Companies
NSF Funding
Local Industry
Practical Lectures
Brown Faculty
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Entrepreneurship Course Goals
Semester I
Semester II
Company Role - Board of Directors
Company takes on new role -
Investors !
Winter Break
Practical Lectures

• teamwork
• intellectual property
• technical marketing
• business plan
• case studies

• Requirements
• presentations
• competitions

Technology Demonstrator Professional
Business Plan

• Engineering
• Business Plan

Launch ?
Deliverables

• Lectures
• venture capital
• finances

• preliminary b-plan
• market due diligence
• engineering design
• colleague evaluation
• presentations

Focus
Semester II
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Mentor Models
Technology Mentor
Broad Technology Idea
Search Markets Find Applications Narrow Concept
Product
Customer Mentor
Search for Technology Feasibility
Integration Narrow Concept
Customer Need
Product
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Intellectual Property / Ownership
Student Team Value Creation
Ownership Outcomes
Conception
Mentor Company Seeds Idea
Students take new direction and ownership
Development
Company retains IP
Proof of Concept
Company Given Ownership of IP
Company relinquishes IP to students
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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
• Company co-inventors assign
• rights to student company
• Sponsoring company agrees not to
• receive shop right.

Create Start-Up
Upperclass Design Course
Goals

• Proceed with no agreements
• (Probably o.k.)

Reference Neil Ferraro, Wolf Greenfield Sachs
(Boston, MA) Brown Venture Forum, March 2002
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Course Timeline
Preliminary b-plan. Technical Feasibility
design review.
Final review B-plan prototype
Market IP and Preliminary design Review.
Design prototype review
Reconnect with mentors
Meet mentors Seed Idea.
Form companies
September December January
May
Faculty Guest Lectures Faculty
Guest Lectures
August
Winter Break
June July

• Faculty assess results
• preparing field manual

• Faculty screen ideas
• No tech service
• No product improve-
• ment

• Faculty review b-plans
• Technical feasibility
• Market feasibility

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Example Course Timeline
Final review B-plan prototype
Meet mentor seed Idea. Laser Fare Direct Write
Sustain business Laser Fare
Application Ideas Laser Fare
NCIIA Proposals due
Reconnect with Laser Fare
Business Model Laser Fare
Preliminary b-plan
Business Ideas Laser Fare
New Markets Laser Fare
RI Business Plan
Form companies
Feasibility Laser Fare
September December January
May
Visit Stony Brook
Winter Break
Visit Stony Brook
Stony Brook visits
IMS Visits
Visit IMS
NCIIA Visit
Visit Hasbro
Visit Hasbro
Visit Sciperio
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What we have learned

• Good Academics
• Core Expertise
• High Enthusiasm
• Year commitment

• Application by admission only
• (50 Engineering/50 Non-Engineers)
• Sponsoring Companies have
• stake in success of project
• Good Match between project/students
• Avoid non-disclosure agreements

• Strong Interest
• Core Experience
• Access to resources
• Information

• Technical Expertise
• Overlap interests
• Watch Strong
• Personality

• Students Will Talk
• No NDAs
• If necessary then
• good faith

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Grading
Mentor Feedback
Quality of Work Product
A B C
Self and Personnel Evaluations

• Presentations
• Written work
• Engineering design

Frequent Interactions
General Observations

• Students always suggest pass / fail option
  (Faculty disagree)
• Grades lt A, Students either drop out or become
  motivated
• Important to privately discuss performance with
  students

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1999-2001 Projects Partners
MDigital Electronic Medical Records
TS Prince Filtration Bag Technology
Intrinsic Systems Wireless Automation
Dr. J. Gutman
2000- 01
1999-2001 Companies
1999- 00
1999- 00
IRIS Solutions Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL)
Handprint Portable Ink Jet Printing
2000- 01
1999- 00
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2001-2002 Project
Technology Integrated hand-held
printer technology for small scale portable
devices, e.g. PDAs, Palm Pilots, etc.
Initial Market Entry Electronic prescription
writing and rounds report printing for medical
professionals
Partner
Group preparing for presentation to
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2001-2002 Project
Competition
Novel CAD Designs Side Printing
Electronics (print engine)
Rapid Prototyping Case
Smiles when it FITS !
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2001-2002 Project
Technology Magnetorheological (MR)
Fluids Complex fluids that harden and
soften with EM Activation. Potential
vibration dampeners
External magnetic field applied
Market Hand Arm Vibration
Syndrome (HAVS)- Degenerate nerve and vascular
damage caused by vibrating tools. Construction
vibrating tool operators.
Partner Sensory Technologies, Inc.,
NOW Afferent
Group preparing for presentation to
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2001-2002 Project
Competition- Passive Dampening
Rapid Prototyping
CAD design of tool handle design
Electronics
Proof of Concept- preliminary data acquired in
Prince Laboratory
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2001-2002 Project
Conformance Solutions
Technology Direct write machines
write electrically conductive lines (lt ½
human hair)
Market A disruptive technology
designed to place electronics in places that were
previously thought impossible. Enabling new
applications.
Partner
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2001-2002 Project
Conformance Solutions
Govt Funding
Local RI Partner Company
Technology Developers
Potential (Local) Customers
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2001-2002 Project
Conformance Solutions
Inexpensive Toy Electronics
Direct-Write in Action
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Success / Work Product
Journal of Engineering Education
Engineering Entrepreneurship An Example of a
Paradigm Shift in Engineering Education (April
2002, page 185)
National Collegiate Inventors Innovators
Alliance Four student teams were awarded 15-20K
each to continual their efforts. NCIIA also
supported smaller grants for student travel.
Brown Entrepreneurship Program Ferrosity 2002
Winner 25K Award.
Brown Venture Forum Developing New Products with
Non-Traditional Resources March 2002
National Science Foundation Suuberg Crawford
preparing field manual for other
universities Disclose successes and failures of
our venture.
Advanced Manufacturing Institute Engineering
Entrepreneurship A Unique Cooperation
Between University and Industry, August 12-13,
2001, Kansas State
Intellectual Property Student groups have filed
provision patent applications.
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Course Goal Assessment
Definitely Somewhat Not at all
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Compared to other Brown courses that you have
taken, do you feel that this experience was
Provide entrepreneurial experience. Introduce
issues of IP, technical marketing business
economics
Provide an opportunity to develop written
and oral communication skills
More Valuable Comparable Less Valuable
Provide challenging technical design experience
Provide a genuine teamwork experience
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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 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
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Post Course

• RI B-Plan Competition
• NCIIA Competition
• SBIR Programs
• Angles / VCs / Family

Education Is Our Product
Independent Funding

• Relative to Brown

New Relationship

• Relative to Sponsor

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Summary

• Engineers ? Heavy Engin Course
• Non-Engineers ? Very Heavy Load

Course is intensive for Students

• 1.5 faculty required for 24 students
• Time consuming/ long hours/
• late nights

Faculty resource intensive

• Enriching for students
• Business experience
• written/oral/presentation
• skills

• Enriching for faculty
• Learn something new
• Other benefits

Amazing Opportunity
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Acknowledgements
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 also providing
travel funds to students within the class to
attend professional workshops and conferences
Division of Engineering for providing funding to
create the entrepreneurial headquarters