The NIU Foundation is introducing exciting changes to its Venture Grants Program. The changes will result in extended collaboration between NIU’s students and faculty, the development of NIU’s best “ideas” into viable, market-ready products or technologies, and the advancement of NIU by bringing different minds and skill sets together.
Under the new program, faculty will submit invention disclosures to the NIU Technology Transfer Office for review. Five semi-finalists will be selected to advance and meet with students from the Colleges of Business and Law to form teams. These teams will be aligned with mentors and coaches as they train and work on a business plan. Final presentations will be made to the NIU Foundation Grants Committee and two proposals will be selected to receive Venture Grant funding.
Five semifinalists have already been selected: Behrooz Fallahi with the Self-Tuning Vibration Absorber, Elizabeth Gaillard with the Timed Release of Substances to Treat Ocular Disorders, Lichuan Liu with Wireless Communication Integrated Active Noise Control Systems for Infant Incubators, and Joseph Santner with Laser Assisted Machining System for Ceramics and Hard Materials. For more information on each of the semi-finalists click here.
Join students, faculty, alumni, and friends of NIU to learn about how you can become part of a team competing for up to $20,000 in grants. For more information on how to join this event, contact Karinne Bredberg at the NIU Technology Transfer Office at kbredberg@niu.edu or 815-753-1125
The event will be held at Thurgood Marshall Gallery, Swen Parson Hall on January 25,2013 from 3:30-5:30 PM