Projects and Labs
Projects
Get your feet wet by starting a project. Whether you’re interested in just one project or building a foundation for more engagement, creating a singular project is a way for partners to become familiar with and build a presence at the Innovation Center and UIC.
This focused approach helps build a strong foundation for collaboration by working with students, developing their capabilities and potential, seeing how we work on projects through their cycle, and ensuring a successful and scalable approach before committing to multiple projects.
Projects
As collaborators work with us on specific projects, the Innovation Center provides targeted expertise or resources to achieve clearly defined objectives. This collaboration is typically project-specific and short-term, allowing both parties to contribute specialized skills and knowledge. Collaborators play a crucial role in bringing unique capabilities to the table, helping to address specific challenges or opportunities.
The relationship is focused on immediate, shared goals and outcomes. This engagement level is ideal for organizations looking to build a relationship with the Innovation Center and the university while exploring new areas or pilot initiatives without a long-term commitment.
Labs
Dive right in and create a lab. Creating a suite of projects offers a dynamic and multifaceted approach to collaboration with the Innovation Center and the university. By engaging in multiple projects simultaneously, you can leverage diverse expertise and innovative solutions across various domains, fostering a rich environment for creativity and problem-solving.
This approach not only maximizes the potential impact on your organization but also accelerates learning and development for both the students and your team. With multiple projects, you can address a range of challenges and opportunities, ensuring a comprehensive and strategic engagement that drives substantial progress and innovation.
Labs
Corporate partners engage with us on a deeper, strategic level through active involvement in decision-making processes. This partnership involves a significant commitment of resources, including time, expertise, and funding, in order to successfully run collaborative projects, classes, and other initiatives. The partner’s role is characterized by sustained involvement and a strong commitment to achieving shared business outcomes and objectives that ensure the success of our joint ventures.
Learn more about our process
Benefits
-
University Presence
Stand out on campus. Partnering provides opportunities to strengthen your reputation and establish brand awareness, presence, and connections that foster future collaboration on campus.
-
Scalable Projects
Build to grow. Projects can be built upon each other or take a completely new direction, creating a hub of continuous innovation and development. This fosters an environment where ideas evolve naturally, allowing for both iterative growth and novel breakthroughs that drive lasting impact.
-
Cost Effective Solutions
Maximize impact and minimize cost. Our partners benefit from innovative ideas and practical solutions at a fraction of the cost of traditional consulting. This approach allows organizations to address complex problems efficiently while maximizing value and achieving impactful results.
-
Recruitment Pipeline
Find your future workforce. Working with UIC students and alumni provides direct access to talent ready to bring new ideas and a strong understanding of company goals and culture from the start.
-
Fresh Perspectives
See beyond the usual. Collaborating with students, faculty, and emerging professionals brings organizations distinctive perspectives. With fresh eyes looking at the problem, our outside viewpoint allows for creative, unbiased solutions that challenge conventional approaches and drive innovation.
-
Flexibility in Research
Think outside the box. We can adapt to explore a wide range of research avenues. This flexible approach allows for rapid adjustments to project scope or focus, ensuring that research efforts align with evolving goals.
Capabilities
Capabilities
- Market research and validation
- Access to clinicians and healthcare professionals
- Behavioral analytics
- Intellectual property evaluation
- Pitch development
Capabilities
- Physical prototyping (3D printing and fabrication)
- User testing
- User research
- UI/UX design
- User journey mapping
Capabilities
- UX evaluation
- Tech prototypes (VR, hardware, wireframes)
- Path to market for medical devices
- Clickstream analysis
- Heatmaps
View case studies
Project interest form
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there costs associated with sponsoring a project?
Yes. Our fee covers the overhead costs of the project team. This can include faculty, staff, alumni, and current students depending on project needs.
What commitment is required from our company?
We collaborate through project, structured based engagements. During the lifecycle of a project, our partners participate in project definition, weekly check-ins, and milestone reviews with teams.
What type of people will be on the project?
We build a multidisciplinary team that usually consists of a mix of faculty (with the necessary domain knowledge), staff, alumni, and current students. Alumni and current students range from undergraduate to doctoral degree levels, determined to meet the project requirements.
What kind of deliverables can my organization expect to see at the end of the project?
The deliverables will be tailored to what the project requires. Project teams go through a research process that will unveil opportunity areas for deliverables. Examples of deliverables could range from a physical (works like/looks like/feels like) prototype to a set of UI/UX prototypes, to a strategic blueprint for a new service design model.
How do we handle privacy, intellectual property, and disclosures?
All confidentiality and intellectual property rights are mutually agreed upon by both entities in a master agreement. All project participants including students, faculty, and staff sign non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) before the project starts. While students often wish to share their class experience and development process with prospective employers, by signing an agreement, they do not disclose project outcomes or solutions without the explicit permission of the partner.