Promoting Student Innovation

Design and Entrepreneurship

In order to encourage student innovation and create new project opportunities, design competition and seed funding for interdisciplinary projects will be available to all of the SAGE trainees. This will give graduate students the ability to pursue new projects and potential commercialization opportunities that complement their core research. The evaluation criteria for these funds and competitions will be based on creativity, feasibility, and potential impact of the projects. 

The SAGE IGERT Innovation Funding goals will be to: (1) identify and advance new ideas that have the potential for real-world impact; (2) provide concrete support, funding, advice, and connections; (3) encourage students to set ambitious goals for their current work and future endeavors; and (4) increase the role that IGERT trainees play in shaping the next generation of research and education in green chemistry. 

Competitive Innovation Funding for Interdisciplinary Team Projects: Team projects that encourage student-led innovation and leadership are a key feature of the SAGE IGERT. Creating the ecosystem of innovation to support these teams—one that encourages and rewards interdisciplinary collaboration, gives trainees appropriate autonomy early in their career, and provides an ongoing support infrastructure —is an essential component to advance novel ideas.

Other Campus Programs Supporting Students Innovation:

SAGE trainees will also be encouraged to apply their interdisciplinary knowledge in other campus programs supporting student innovation. In particular, students will be able to participate in:

·         CleanTech-2-Market class at the Haas Business School. This class pairs interdisciplinary student teams with researchers interested in evaluating the market potential of a laboratory scale technology. At the end of the semester, each team will develop a business plan for the scaling of the technology to market.

·         The Science, Technology, Engineering and Policy group, STEP, sponsors a White Paper competition every year that encourages students to consider the relationship between policy and emerging technologies. These opportunities and others like them will enrich the SAGE trainee experience and help students apply the unique skills that they gain within SAGE.