Over-the-transom opportunities:
The SUITED 2024 Workshop will be held Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 - Saturday, Nov. 2, 2024 at Union College in Schenectady, NY.
Background: Many faculty want to increase the impact of and benefits derived from their academic research by pursuing Technology Innovation and Partnership (TIP)* activities, but they feel isolated and do not know how to proceed. SUITED is designed to provide guidance and resources to help faculty move forward. To date we have run an initial virtual workshop (Jan. 2023) and a two day in-person workshop (Oct. 2023).
The Workshop: SUITED 2024 will bring faculty members from primarily undergraduate institutions (PUIs), ideally in teams that include administrators (e.g. sponsored programs/grants office personnel, academic deans/chairs) to Union College to present their research ideas and receive informed feedback, initial assessment, and help planning next steps that might lead to commercialization or other entrepreneurial outcomes. The workshop will include lightning presentations on key TIP-related topics (e.g. incubators, intellectual property), one-on-one mentoring, and opportunities to network with experts in grant writing, compliance, and intellectual property, as well as meet with like-minded faculty and others from PUIs. You can view a tentative schedule, sign up for our email list, and read more about the workshop by visiting our website.
Significant travel and lodging support will be available to participants. Participation will be limited to 20 teams of 2-4 people from PUIs, ideally consisting of at least one faculty member and one administrator, although individuals wishing to participate will be considered. Participants/teams will be competitively selected from among all applications.
The application portal to participate is now open. Applications are due by May 31, 2024. Selected applicants will be notified in late June.
*Technology Innovation and Partnership (TIP) activities provide valuable pathways to support and enhance a college’s core research, teaching, and broader societal missions. Among other potential advantages, they provide new tools for thinking about how to get your research out of the lab / off campus and into the world where it can have more impact. The NSF, recognizing that TIP activities are critical to ensuring the maximal societal benefit from their research support, has established a new directorate focused on supporting these activities. To date, very few PUIs have sought NSF support in these areas.