The
Idea-Innovation-Impact Lab (I-Lab) Accelerator Program at NIU:
Seeking
Student Participants
The Idea, Innovation,
Impact lab (I-Lab) is a 16-week program, which includes workshops
on creativity, social impact, design, engineering, and innovation. In this start-up accelerator, students work
in multi-disciplinary entrepreneurial teams to develop an innovative technology
to solve a social problem. We are
currently seeking student applicants for the fall semester.
The course will be taught as a series of
workshops that will include both required topics and on-demand topics, or those
that relate to a particular team and innovation. Each team will receive between
$500-1000 to support market research prototype development. The I-Lab allows students to engage in the entrepreneurial
process from opportunity identification to the launch of a new venture.
Students will be exposed to entrepreneurial tools to help them create an
innovative product, produce a prototype and develop a sound business model
which incorporates and measures the financial, social and environmental impact
(e.g., the double or triple bottom line). At the program’s conclusion, the
I-Lab will host a “Demo Day” where E-teams will pitch their final product ideas
to community members and potential investors.
The I-lab is open to all NIU students,
undergraduate or graduate, with a passion and desire to make a positive impact
on a pressing world problem. Students may enter the program as already formed
E-teams, or as individuals looking to join a team. Students will have the
option of taking the I-Lab Accelerator Program for up to 6 hours of course
credit.
The I-Lab will be housed in the new NIU
Incubator, a 10,485 square feet space located in the University Libraries’ main building, to be launched in September 2016.
The space will contain a mix of open seating areas that allow for casual group
discussions or serendipitous encounters, smaller “office” space for private
strategy and planning meetings, and conference areas available for more formal
group discussions and presentations. There will be dedicated space for the
I-Lab Accelerator, including office space and conference rooms to allow student
teams to collaborate and engage with faculty and mentors.
For more information about the program
or how to apply, contact Christine Mooney at chmooney@niu.edu
or 815-753-6308.
