ECE
ECE
ECE ECE

ECE Innovator Program

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY
A team of 2 or more including at least one past or present ECE graduate student, post-doc, or researcher, and at least one individual with expertise in product management. The innovation should be based on technology produced in ECE. 

PROGRAM FUNDING
A total of $75,000 will be provided for a period of 6-12 months.  The funds could be used to cover personnel costs for positions at the University of Michigan, commercialization plans, prototype development, and launching of a start-up company aimed at commercializing a disruptive and innovative technology developed through ECE research.

PROGRAM TIMELINE
- Announcement of ECE Innovator Program:  April 23, 2018
- Information Session and Mixer: May 15, 2018
- Startup Launch Workshop by Jonathan Fay: June TBD, 2018
- Proposal Deadline: July 9, 2018
- Finalists Announced: August 31, 2018
- Finalists Presentation to Selection Panel and Final Selection of Award Recipient: September 21, 2018
- Program Funding Start Date: November 1, 2018

PROGRAM PROPOSALS
Proposals are limited to 6 pages (12pt font, times new roman, 1-inch margins) and should provide the following information about the innovation activity that will be facilitated through this program:

  • What is Disruptive about the Innovation?  What is the existing state-of-the-art solution to be displaced?  What features of the innovation are novel over the existing state-of-the-art?
  • What pain does it solve for a customer (please provide any customer discovery feedback)?  What are the benefits and value of those novel features?
  • What addressable market does it serve?
  • What are the technical risks?  What is the development timeline?
  • What is the appropriate price, the cost and quantitative benefit to customer (include ROI)?
  • What is the status of the IP, and whether it is available to the future company?
  • Who are team members and what is their role (attach 2-page bio for each member, not included in the page limit).  Any team is required to include product management experience.
  • Budget, how will the $75K be used and what are the expected outcomes over the 6-12 month duration of the program?  A prototype of the innovative technology should be developed by the end of this program.
  • Have you received other funding?  If so, how much and from what source?

Proposals, in the form of a pdf file, and/or questions about this award should be submitted to Mrs. Lisa Armstrong at the following email address lisaj@umich.edu by July 1, 2018 with the subject of “ECE Innovator Proposal.”