Intellectual Property & Patents
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Intellectual Property (IP)
What is intellectual property?
• Intellectual property is an intangible, e.g. an invention or discovery that can be bought,
sold, or licensed
• It can be protected by patents, trade secrets, copyrights, and trademarks, which prevents
others from the unauthorized manufacture, copying, use or sale of the property
Whose property is it?
• The Patent Policies of most US universities state that any invention developed at the
university by university employees or resulting from research carried out under
university auspices must be disclosed
• University has the right to take over the rights to the invention (in which case the rights
must be assigned to university) or return the rights to the inventor(s)
• If university takes the rights, it will also enter into a revenue-sharing agreement with the
inventor(s); at NYU, the net royalties are split 15% to NYU Office of Industrial Liaison
(OIL), 42.5% to NYU, and 42.5% to the inventor(s) - NYU covers patent expenses, etc.
Intellectual Property & Patents
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Patents
• Most often (except perhaps for some software), an invention or discovery is protected
by a patent, which excludes others from making, using, or selling the IP for 20 years
from the date of filing in the United States; different outside of the US
• US patent law has been changed to conform with laws of other countries
What is patentable?
• Any process, machine, manufacture, compound, or composition of matter, or a new
and useful improvement on any of those, may be patentable, provided the inventor
is capable of making a disclosure which would enable a person of ordinary skill in
art to make and use the invention without extensive research or experimentation
• The invention must be useful (i.e. practical, not a mere laboratory curiosity), novel (i.e.
has not been known or used by others, and not obvious (to any person of ordinary
skill – and here is the root cause of most patent litigation, the terms obvious and
ordinary skill are not well defined and subjective !)
• Equations and natural phenomena CANNOT be patented
BUT: what about genes ? Not so easy !
Intellectual Property & Patents
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Public Disclosure
•
Premature disclosure of an invention jeopardizes the right to patent protection. US
patent law allows a one-year grace period between the first public disclosure of an
invention and the filing of a patent application; however, almost all other countries
do not and the right of patent protection is lost immediately upon disclosure.
•
Public disclosure is any written or oral communication of details of the invention, e.g.
its appearance in university newsletters, newspapers, abstracts and presentations,
or through the public discussion at a conference. So be careful !
•
A Nondisclosure or Confidentiality Agreement makes the disclosure non-public !
Priority
•
All countries now have a “first to file”, not a “first to invent” policy
IP and federally funded Research
•
The Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 allowed universities to control the IP that results from
federally funded research (subject to a “shop right” for the government).
Intellectual Property & Patents
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
What about inventions conceived by students ?
Graduate and Undergraduate Students
The principles below apply to students enrolled at NYU and non-enrolled visiting students.
(1) Class Work: In general, NYU will NOT claim ownership of Inventions conceived,
reduced to practice and developed by students as part of their uncompensated class
work. Student compensation excludes financial aid without a work requirement
(2) Other: NYU will claim ownership of the IP when a student, solely or jointly, conceives,
reduces to practice, or develops an Invention in the course of
(a) sponsored research (e.g., under a graduate or research fellowship or
assistantship), incl. research for the student’s thesis/dissertation,
(b) any research or other activity involving Substantial Use of University Resources,
(c) participation as a team member in a University project involving other members of
the University Community (unless all participating members are students acting in
the capacity of students) or
(d) employment or other compensated duties at NYU
 the Inventions are the property of NYU and the student shares in the
proceeds as an Inventor, according to the NYU revenue sharing policy.
Intellectual Property & Patents
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Of course, if you invent something in your spare time and you don’t use
significant NYU support and facilities  you, as a student, own the IP !
If the students own the IP, now what ?
• Taking an invention from concept to the next step(s), incl. patenting the
invention and protecting the patent, developing the technology to market
readiness, identifying potential customers, articulating a clear value
proposition, pitching the technology to investors, identifying
industry partners, etc. requires money and/or access to test facilities –
students usually do not have any money, nor easy access to facilities nor
the proper skills
• Solution 1: students go with the standard NYU patent policy – and share in
the net revenue according to the NYU patent and revenue
sharing policy
• Solution 2: students go it alone, raise money, develop invention further
• Solution 3: students work with NYU on a “hybrid” deal
Technology Readiness Level
Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs)
 TRL 1 – basic principles observed
 TRL 2 – technology concept formulated
 TRL 3 – experimental proof of concept
 TRL 4 – technology validated in lab
 TRL 5 – technology validated in relevant
(industrial) environment
TRL 6 – technology demonstrated in relevant
(industrial) environment
 TRL 7 – system prototype demonstrated
in operational environment
TRL 8 – system complete and qualified
TRL 9 – actual system proven in
operational environment
 university-driven
 proof-of-concept center/accelerator/incubator dominated
 (large-scale) industrial commercialization
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Universities – Incubators
of Innovation
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Why do universities commercialize IP ?
After Bayh – Dole (1980) that allowed universities to control the IP derived from
federally-funded research, IP commercialization became another source of
revenue/income for the universities. It is all about $$$ !
What are we talking about ?
After Bayh – Dole (1980), research universities have accumulated large IP
portfolios. The University of California System receives about 500 patents annually.
New York University has about 1,200 patents (of which 60% are licensed).
BUT: IBM has ~ 100,000 patents and receives close to 10,000 new patents per year;
Microsoft owns ~ 85,000 patents and receives about 7,500 new patents per year.
How do universities commercialize IP ?
•
Sell the patent – least lucrative financially
•
License the patent to a third party for commercialization
•
Form a partnership with a third party and jointly commercialize the IP
•
Create a spin-out company, i.e. through startup formation
Universities – Incubators
of Innovation
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
New York University Technology Transfer Statistics
• NYU is a sustaining member of the US National Academy of
Inventors (NAI) and NYU’s President, Andrew Hamilton, is an
elected Fellow of the NAI (as am I)
•
~1,200 patents were granted to NYU Faculty & Postdocs, 3/4 have been licensed
•
NYU is the #1 University (in the US) in license income (2007-2011 and 2004-2016)
with $1.8B for the period 2007-2011 and $2.5B for 2004-2016
•
NYU has formed >90 startups, more than 50 in the last 5 years
•
More than $1B in Venture Capital has been raised by NYU startups
•
44 NYU products incl. 25 biomedical products are on the market
•
15 NYU-developed products are in clinical trials
NYU has:
•
18 different Colleges and Schools,
incl. a School of Medicine
•
About 50,000 Students
•
About 2,000 Professors
•
12 Study Sites & 2 Portal Campus
Locations World Wide (incl. NYU Berlin)
IP Commercialization
Commercialization Myth
Basic &
Applied
Research
Discovery /
Invention /
IP Creation
Venture
Formation
& Growth
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
IP and IP commercialization
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
The Lean Launchpad (LLP) Methodology – Steve Blank
Launching a new enterprise has always been hit-or-miss. Traditionally, you write a
business plan, pitch it to investors, form a team, introduce a product, and start selling
as hard as you can. However, about 80% of all new ventures fail.
Reason: Startups are not simply smaller version of traditional larger businesses and
their road to success follows a different trajectory.
Solution: The LLP methodology introduced by Steve Blank. It favors:
• experimentation over elaborate planning
• customer feedback over intuition
• iterative design over traditional “big design up front” development.
Although the LLP methodology is only about 10 years old, its concepts such as
“developing a minimum viable product (MVP)”, “getting out of the building, i.e. talking
to potential customers”, “maximizing product-market fit”, and “pivoting in response to
feedback” have quickly taken root in the startup world, and many business schools as
well as incubators/accelerators have begun adapting their curricula to teach them.
NSF I(nnovation)-Corps: The National Science Foundation made the LLP approach a
cornerstone of its I-Corps Programs.
IP Commercialization
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Commercialization Reality II
Basic &
Applied
Research
Discovery/
Invention /
IP Creation
Venture
Formation
& Growth
The “technological valley of death”
(or the “ditch of death”)
and “money” is NOT the solution !
IP Commercialization
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Commercialization Reality III
Basic &
Applied
Research
Discovery /
Invention / IP
Creation
Customer
Discovery &
Prototype Dev.
Business
Model & Team
Formation
• Customer/market discovery
• Engineering/prototypes
• Mentors and advisors
• Collaborative spaces
• Business leadership
• Legal counsel
• Capital
The “technological valley of death”
Venture
Formation
& Growth
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Business Model Canvas
1. What problem do you solve ?
Guess
Guess
Facts
Facts
3. Why
would your
Guess
customers
care?
Guess
Facts
Guess
Facts
Facts
Guess
Guess Facts
2. Guess
Who are
your likely
customers?
Guess Facts
NSF I-Corps Program
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Creation of the I-Corps Program, ~13 years ago
•
Maximizes impact of NSF investments – accelerate
readiness to transition tech out of the lab
•
$50,000 grants to create prototypes & commercialization
roadmaps
•
7-week ‘bootcamp’ that leverages best practices such as
the LLP Methodology
•
Facilitates team formation
Principal
Entrepreneurial
Investigator (PI)
Lead (EL)
Industry
Mentor (IM)
•
Creates a national network of scientists, engineers,
innovators, business leaders and entrepreneurs
•
I-Corps Regional Nodes, Sites, and Teams
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
NSF I-Corps Regional Node (NYCRIN) – CUNY/NYU/Columbia Collaboration
-
NYCRIN connects academic technologists to business
and entrepreneurial partners through a 3-fold mission:
- Teach the NSF I-Corps curriculum, a training program
based on the Lean Launch Pad (LLP) methodology
- Outreach, and commercial development activities across
the network
Gather and analyze assessment data to optimize the way institutions support and
foster the national innovation ecosystem
NYU Tandon I-Corps Site “Enhancing Diversity in STEM Entrepreneurship”
The program introduces aspiring tech entrepreneurs (many of
them women or from underrepresented groups in STEM) to the
LLP methodology and helps them develop marketable
solutions to real-world problems.
Both ended and have been replaced
New: NSF Innovation Hub (CUNY/NYU/Columbia Collaboration)
Just awarded, starting date 1/1/2022 for 5 years.
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
INNOVENTION - Your idea. Engineered.
InnoVention is a prototyping competition run by students
and supported by the Future Labs. It challenges student
teams to validate, prototype and pitch commercially
viable technology ventures that solve global problems.
InnoVention adds to the NYU’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and works with the NYU
Summer Launchpad program and the $300k Entrepreneurs Challenge. InnoVention
builds a robust competitive culture at Tandon that drives innovation through ideation,
education, mentorship and funding, leading student entrepreneurs to start and take their
ventures forward. Now truly global by integrating NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai.
STUDENT CHALLENGES
Pose specific problems to either student teams of student/faculty teams and challenge
them to come up with solutions that be reduced to practice, i.e. can be implemented in
the real world (and may lead to a commercial entity that produces and markets them.
•
•
Tandon Made Challenge (conceived during pandemic)
Tandon – Rusk Rehabilitation Challenge in partnership with the NYU School of
Medicine
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
THE MAKERSPACE AT TANDON
The MakerSpace is a 10,000 sq ft collaborative workspace/lab
that provides great opportunities for students and faculty to
engage in innovative and entrepreneurial activities. The space
highlights new kinds of iterative, interdisciplinary teamwork
using tools of rapid prototyping and digitally driven production.
In addition to modern tools, from advanced software to milling machines to 3D printers
to integrated manufacturing facilities, it functions as a stimulating environment which
fosters collaborative learning. It also connects students to the broader tech and
engineering scene in NYC by hosting hackathons, guest lectures, and tech talks.
PROTOTYPING FUND
The NYU Prototyping Fund is a collaborative program offered by
the Greenhouse at NYU Tandon and the NYU Entrepreneurial
Institute that awards student teams up to $500 in the first round
of funding and up to $2000 in the second to be used to build
hardware or software prototypes, and connects them with the
resources, tools, and mentors they need to bring their ideas to life.
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
Resources Invested
Ditch of Death
Urban Growth
Hub/Step-out Space
STTR
SBIR
NSF I-Corps/
Proof-ofConcept Centers
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Series A
Small Business
Industry
Investors
Tandon’s
Future Labs
Valley of
Death
Company
Formation
University/Garage
Grants/F&F
Discovery
Development
Commercialization
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
HELP: Affordable
Step-out Space, the
Growth Hub
STTR
SBIR
HELP: or
NSF
I-Corps/
Incubator
ProofProof-of-Concept
of-Concept Center Centers
(e.g. PowerBridgeNY)
Accelerator
Program
Resources Invested
Ditch of Death
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Series A
Industry
Growth Hub
Small Business
Investors
Tandon’s
Future Labs
Valley of
Death
University/Garage
Grants/F&F
Discovery
Development
Commercialization
From the Poly Incubators
to the Tandon Future Labs
The Mission of the “Poly Incubators”
• To support new and emerging science and technology startups
during the critical start-up period when they are the vulnerable
• To provide low-cost facilities, technological and business
support services, such as flexible leases and shared services
(legal, accounting, HR, and marketing), and access to
financing, students, faculty, and equipment/facilities
• To help grow the startups into mature ventures that will
create new jobs and contribute to the economic development
of New York City, New York State, and the nation
• To play a pivotal role in developing an entrepreneurial
academic environment at NYU Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
From the Poly Incubators
to the Tandon Future Labs
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
After the 2008 financial crisis, the NYC government began to diversify
the NYC economy through entrepreneurship, support for startups, and
incubators, seeded through the Economic Development Corporation.
“NYC will be the most welcoming city for people who want to start a business. The incubator
program shows how government can help create such an environment and spur job creation.”
From humble beginnings in 2009 as incubators for early-state startups, we created the
NYU Tandon Future Labs as Technology Acceleration and Commercialization Hubs.
Urban Future Lab
Digital Future Lab
Data Future Lab
Other Assets at NYU:
+
+
Veterans Future Lab
+
AI NexusLab
A 4-month AI Accelerator
Program, jointly with ff VC
•
•
•
•
•
•
Combine Program (Media Lab)
Entrepreneurial Institute
Leslie eLab
Berkley Innovation Lab
Endless Frontiers Lab
StartAD
From the Poly Incubators
to the Tandon Future Labs
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Future Labs Ecosystem
Augmented/Virtual
Reality, Video,
Virtual Machines,
Digitization
AI, Machine
Learning, Data,
Natural Language
Processing, System
Architecture
Veteran Led
Technology Ventures
Cleantech, Smart
Cities, Smart Grid
From the Poly Incubators
to the Tandon Future Labs
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Typical Startup the NYU Tandon Future Labs
• Technology-focused, between Seed Stage and Series A financing (typically $3-8M);
requires a minimum viable product (MVP) and some seed funding
• Selective acceptance, <10% of applicants  high “graduation rate” (85%) and high postgraduation success rate (>80% still in business 2 years after graduation)
• Maximum stay of 2 years, consecutive 6-mo leases; renewal is dependent on successful
completion of technical and business milestones
From the Poly Incubators
to the Tandon Future Labs
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Our Service Portfolio
Office Hours
Mentorship
Mentors, Service Providers Academia, Industry, Finance
Internships
Paid or for academic credit
Faculty Engagement
Monthly Pitch Events
F-EIRs, Domain Expertise
Flash Pitch – 8 companies
pitch to 4 investors;
draws audience of >150
International
Partnerships
Preferred landing platform for
startups from Germany, Denmark,
the UK, Canada, the Netherlands,
Estonia, Turkey, and others …
From the Poly Incubators
to the Tandon Future Labs
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
NYU Tandon School of Engineering Incubators and their Economic Impact

To date, 120 Companies have graduated (i.e. completed Series A financing and/or
grew beyond incubator capacity through other funding)

Market valuation of the all graduates: more than $2B

30 Acquisitions, two for $100M and one for about $70M

More than 7,500 New Jobs Created

More than $7B Economic Impact in NYC (since 2009)

~$500M in Venture Capital Raised and > $600M in Project Financing

About 1/4 of our incubator companies are NYU-affiliated companies

Internships for our Students (for credit or paid)

6 Tandon Faculty Engineers in Residence working with the tenant companies

> 100 International Delegation Visits, 6 executed MOUs/LOIs to collaborate executed

Participant in IN2NYC H1-B Visa Program to attract foreign entrepreneurs
25
The Role of Government
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
The Importance of Public – Private – Academic Partnerships and the Role of
Local (NYC) and State (NYS) Support
NYC Economic Development Corporation:

Data Future Lab (2009) - $250,000 seed funding + NYU commitment to cost share and achieve
financial sustainability after 3-5 years through industry support and corporate sponsorship

Digital Future Lab (2011) - $200,000 seed funding + NYU commitment to cost share and …

Urban Future Lab (2013) - $750,000 seed funding + NYU commitment to cost share and …




NYC Media Lab (2012), $1,500,000 seed funding + ongoing programmatic support +
NYU/Columbia commitment to cost share and …
NYC VR/AR Lab (2018), $6,000,000 seed funding + NYU commitment to cost share and …
NYC Cybersecurity Hub (2018), $30,000,000 seed funding + Columbia/NYU/CUNY/Cornell Tech
commitment to cost share and …
NYC Center for Responsible AI, $7,000,000 seed funding – currently in proposal stage
Other NYC Support:

Appropriations from NYC Council

Appropriations from Brooklyn Borough President
26
The Role of Government
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
The Importance of Public – Private – Academic Partnerships and the Role of
Local (NYC) and State (NYS) Support, continued
Empire State Development Corporation (NYS):

Designated Incubator Program, $125,000 per year to startup incubators + NYU cost share

Incubator Hotspot Program, tax-benefits for startups in Designated Hot Spot Incubators

Center for Advanced Technology Program, $1,000,000 per year; requires 1:1 industry match
NYS Energy Research & Development Authority (NYSERDA):

Ongoing programmatic support of Cleantech Incubator + NYU cost share + Industry Support

Five-year, $5,000,000 support for Cleantech Proof-of-Concept Center + NYU cost share
Other NYS Support:

Regional Economic Development Council, up to $2,000,000 per project (construction and
equipment only); requires 4:1 match by grantee

StartupNY Program, provides tax benefits for 10 years for startups and their employees in
designated StartupNY incubators; amount of benefit scales with job creation

Appropriations from NYS Assembly and NYS Senate through local Representatives
27
Invention, Innovation, and
Entrepreneurship at Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Why is this important/beneficial to the School/University
Benefits for our students:
•
Work experiences for student interns in an environment not found in the classroom or research lab
•
More than 1,000 Student intern positions created; internship is combined with educational
offerings; often internships have led to “permanent” employment with startups
•
Some students have created their own startups around their idea (after internship with startup)
Benefits for our faculty:
•
Numerous faculty consulting projects and close collaborations between startups and faculty
•
Contact with entrepreneurs has motivated some faculty to bring their own inventions to market
Benefits for our academic programs and academic environment:
•
Internships with startups provide educational opportunities for our students beyond the traditional
class room, teaching lab, research lab, and coop offerings
•
New course and program offerings, e.g. the common Freshmen course “Forum on Innovation” or
“Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship” MS Program
•
Engagement with the IVS, InnoVention Society, a student-driven organization that introduces our
students to our academic entrepreneurship environment
•
Engagement with “Patent Pending”, an organization that provides students with the opportunity to
innovate and engineer with the assistance of faculty, industry, and other students.
The Future Labs at the SoE
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Why is this important/beneficial to the School/University
Benefits for our students:
•
•
Experiences for student interns in an environment not found in the classroom or research lab
More than 1,000 Student intern positions created; internship is combined with educational
offerings; often internships have led to “permanent” employment with startups
Some students were encouraged to create their own startups around their idea
•
Benefits for our faculty:
•
•
Numerous faculty consulting projects and close collaborations between startups and faculty
Contact with entrepreneurs has motivated faculty to bring their own inventions to market
Benefits for our academic programs and academic environment:
•
•
•
•
•
•
Educational opportunities for our students beyond the traditional class room, teaching lab,
research lab, and coop/internship offerings
New course and program offerings, e.g. the common Freshmen course “Forum on Innovation” or
“Biotechnology & Entrepreneurship” MS Program
Engagement with IVS, the InnoVention Society, a student-driven organization that introduces our
students to our academic entrepreneurship environment
Prototyping Showcase, a collaborative effort of our MakerSpace and the EI @ WSQ
The InnoVention Competition, a student “Ideation to Prototyping” competition; winners receive
cash prizes, a spot in our incubator, IP help, and a place in our Summer Launchpad Program
The Tandon Made Challenge (triggered by COVID-19), the Rusk – Tandon Challenge, etc.
Other Resources
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
Other Entrepreneurial Resources at NYU
•
The Tandon Future Labs (aka Incubators),
http://engineering.nyu.edu/business/future-labs
•
The Entrepreneurial Institute, http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/
•
The Leslie eLab, http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/resource/leslie-elab/ (incl. Blackstone
Launchpad, http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/resource/blackstone-launchpad/
•
The NYU Stern Berkeley Innovation Lab
•
EdTech Incubator at Steinhardt
•
NYC Media Lab Combine Program, http://www.thecombine.nyc/about/
•
Also: Tisch, Integrated Digital Media @ Tandon, …
•
NYU Innovation Venture Fund,
http://entrepreneur.nyu.edu/resource/innovation-venture-fund/
•
Also: Office of Therapeutic Alliances, NYU School of Medicine,
https://www.med.nyu.edu/research/office-therapeutics-alliances
+ Numerous Maker Spaces / Fabrication Facilities across NYU (incl.
at NYU AD), the most recent addition is a 10,000 sq ft space at Tandon
IIIE @ Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
The Institute for Invention, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at Tandon
IIIE Vision:
The IIIE empowers our faculty to become thought leaders around Invention, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship, i2e, and to educate our students to become innovative and
entrepreneurial thinkers in addition to possessing deep disciplinary knowledge.
The IIIE serves the Tandon community and connects us to the rest of NYU:
•
A one-stop shop that coordinates all school-wide i2e activities
•
A platform for all academic activities supporting our goal to integrating i2e into our
academic culture and curricula
•
A vehicle to advance Tandon’s student & faculty appreciation of and skills in
inventiveness, innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurial and design thinking
•
Connects our faculty & students to other NYU activities/entities that promote i2e,
e.g. the Entrepreneurial Institute and the Leslie eLab, the Stern Endless Frontiers
Lab and the Berkley Innovation Lab, the Games Center Incubator, StartAD, etc.
•
Links the Tandon community to the broader NYC technology ecosystem through
hackathons, workshops, competitions, guest lectures, and tech talks
IIIE @ Tandon
Kurt H. Becker, PhD
Vice Dean for Research, Innovation,
and Entrepreneurship
The IIIE realizes its Vision through a wide range of Activities
•
Creates a nurturing environment for faculty & students to pursue research on the
translation of lab breakthroughs into new technologies, products, and processes
•
Supports new learning opportunities to integrate i2e into courses and programs to
provide students with the basic knowledge and experience of entrepreneurial thinking
•
Creates a forum for faculty to engage in exploratory and interdisciplinary research
around i2e, entrepreneurial sabbatical research and to form entrepreneurial
collaborations across disciplinary boundaries (jointly with other NYU entities)
•
Provides seed grants and Fellowships for i2e-relevant research initiatives in high
impact and potentially disruptive areas, e.g., AI, Cybersecurity, Mixed Reality, Gaming,
5G Wireless, and the societal and social impact of emerging technological innovations
•
Assists in proposal preparation that promote innovation and entrepreneurship
•
Provides guidance in the preparation of SBIR and STTR proposals and helps identify
potential academic partners for startups
•
Organizes workshops and competitions, supports experiential learning opportunities
that explore entrepreneurial ideas, facilitates connections with the venture community,
and encourages collaborations with peers from other departments and schools