Programming Informed by Partner Needs
Interdisciplinary Classes Heading link
We prioritize an interdisciplinary approach to problem solving. The Innovation Center bridges higher education with industry partners through sponsored classes across 20+ disciplines. Our classes are led by UIC faculty and industry subject matter experts. Through our classroom curriculum, labs and programming, we are driving innovation and expanding access to entrepreneurship.
I(X)D
Interdisciplinary (Solution) Development delivers next-generation thinking based on a corporate partner topic area. I(X)D is co-taught by faculty from three different colleges: Business Administration, Design, and Engineering, with 30 to 40 students per class. Senior-level students represent the broad diversity in background and training that provides fresh approaches to partner problems.
E(X)D
Entrepreneurial (Solution) Development is an interdisciplinary program consisting of a two-semester class and summer accelerator. Students from multiple disciplines form teams to innovate novel products and services while learning how to build a new venture.
TIR
Tech in Residence (TIR) builds on momentum from the Break Through Tech Sprinternship program to advance gender equity in tech. It combines a corporate-sponsored UIC computer science elective with the possibility of a summer internship or full-time job with the company after the course ends.
Sprinternships
Break Through Tech Sprinternships are designed by the organizations that host them, so each experience is unique in many ways. These are three weeks that you can call your own.
Corporate Innovation Labs Heading link
Drive exploratory development with us. Our corporate innovation labs are dedicated environments to fully develop special projects. Each lab team concentrates on a focused problem, bringing fresh perspectives and the ability to do high-level research. Project timelines depend on the desired outcome, complexity, and project evolution. As members of a research university, lab teams are able to fully utilize their access to resources and subject matter experts, and work alongside dedicated faculty. Students gain paid professional experience through working with corporate partners, faculty advisors, and interdisciplinary team members.
Corporate Medical Labs
We work with corporate partners to identify opportunity areas and develop new products through interdisciplinary research and rapid prototyping. Our process utilizes clinical observations, market research, and user interviews to find novel product opportunities for our corporate partners. Our partners currently include Baxter, Cardinal Health and Hollister.
CAT
Since 2016 the UIC/CAT lab has addressed a wide variety of project types that are always a blend of customer experience + technology + design. We are especially adept at bringing in the voice of the customer to make sure we are solving problems they care about. Lab projects are now part of Caterpillar’s work stream, and the customer insight, fresh thinking, and highly competent delivery allow CAT to validate, accelerate, or re-imagine products and processes.
MAD
The Medical Accelerator for Devices (MAD) Lab is an internally-funded innovation lab that works with UIC clinicians to advance their medical device ideas. Our interdisciplinary engineering, business, and design team conducts clinical needs validation, generates innovative concept solutions, and provides a thorough outline of the potential market opportunity. Our goal is to help College of Medicine inventors advance their ideas towards the market.
Custom, modular workshops and programming Heading link
The Innovation Center works with UIC partners as well as corporate partners to create modular programming based on the unique needs of our partners. Recent collaborations include UIC College of Business Administration, Caterpillar and OSF HealthCare.