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@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.

Funded by the National Science Foundation:

Action Agenda for Systemic Engineering Reform
EEC-9972938
 Course Infrastructure
Rapid Prototyping Facility Entrepreneur Headquarters

Make them feel like a real company (responsibility):

• Computers
• Fax machine
• Internet access
• 24 hour access
• Conference phone
• Laptop
• Copy machine
• LCD Projector
• Scanner
 Engineering Entrepreneurship
Engineers Non-Engineers
Civil Bioengineering Economics
PPSO
Chemical
Mechanical Classics
English
Electrical Computer OBM
Materials Humanities

NSF Funding Interdisciplinary

Local Industry
Entrepreneurial Student
Companies

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

Search for Technology

Customer Need Feasibility Product
Integration
Narrow Concept
 Intellectual Property / Ownership

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.)

Reference: Neil Ferraro, Wolf Greenfield & Sachs (Boston, MA)

Brown Venture Forum, March 2002
 Course Timeline

Technical Feasibility

B-plan & prototype

Design & prototype
Preliminary b-plan.
Preliminary design

& design review.

Market & IP and
Form companies

Reconnect with
Meet mentors

Final review
Seed Idea.

mentors
Review.

review
September December January May
Faculty & Guest Lectures Faculty & Guest Lectures

August Winter Break June & July

Faculty screen ideas: Faculty review b-plans Faculty assess results:
• No tech service • Technical feasibility • preparing field manual
• No product improve- • Market feasibility
ment
 Form companies
Meet mentor seed

Solutions
Idea. Laser Fare

Conformance
September
Direct Write

Visit Sciperio Application Ideas

Laser Fare
Visit Hasbro Business Ideas
Laser Fare
Visit Stony Feasibility
Brook Laser Fare
IMS Visits
December
Preliminary b-plan
Winter Break
Reconnect with
Laser Fare
Visit Stony
Brook New Markets
January

Visit Hasbro Laser Fare

Business Model
Laser Fare
Stony Brook
Example Course Timeline

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

• Students Will Talk

Avoid non-disclosure agreements • No NDA’s
• If necessary then
‘good faith’
 Grading
Mentor Feedback

Quality of Work Product

Self and Personnel • Presentations
Evaluations • Written work
• Engineering design

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.

Initial Market Entry

Electronic prescription writing
and rounds report printing for
medical professionals

Partner
Group preparing for presentation to:
 2001-2002 Project
Competition
Novel CAD Designs – Side Printing

Electronics (print engine)

Rapid Prototyping Case
Smiles when it FITS !
 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 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

Proof of Concept- preliminary data

acquired in Prince Laboratory
 Conformance
2001-2002 Project Solutions

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

Local RI Partner Company

Technology Developers

Potential (Local) Customers

 Conformance
2001-2002 Project Solutions

Inexpensive Toy Electronics

Direct-Write in Action
 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.
Provide entrepreneurial
experience. Introduce
issues of IP, technical

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…”

“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 …”
 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

• Engineers  Heavy Engin Course

Course is intensive for Students • Non-Engineers  Very Heavy Load

• 1.5 faculty required for 24 students

• Time consuming/ long hours/ Faculty resource intensive
late nights

• Enriching for faculty • Enriching for students

Amazing
• Learn something new • Business experience
• Other benefits Opportunity • written/oral/presentation
skills
 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