College of Technology Innovation Teams to help companies

As an additional component of Economic Gardening, participating companies will be offered the opportunity to work with Purdue College of Technology Innovation Teams, thereby providing an ideal “learning lab” for the students. The first projects will begin in the spring of 2015 as new curriculum and course objectives are created. The first round of Economic Gardening projects will be completed in the fall of 2014. We talked with Dr. Christy Bozic, visiting assistant professor, about the Innovation Teams.

Q. How will Purdue determine which companies benefit from Innovation Team assistance?

Economic Gardening consultants will determine opportunities for this component and fast-track companies identified as needing short-term assistance deemed to be valuable by not “mission critical.”

Q. How will the Innovation Teams go about helping companies with their technical design needs?

Through a multidisciplinary approach, Economic Gardening consultants and the students will work together to conduct a needs assessment, analyze data, and define the problem and/or opportunities. Students will develop a project plan based on company and consultant feedback following a defined innovation or product development process. Based on company goals, students will either develop a prototype or project plan. Students will then present these to the company, which will assist the team with a project evaluation.

Q. How long will each project generally take and what do the students gain from participating?

Projects will take one semester to complete and will result in an implementable plan that is centered around one specific design or opportunity identified by the student innovation team. Companies participating in Economic Gardening and the Innovation Teams course also may have the opportunity to participate in the Interns for Indiana program, allowing students to intern for the company they assisted during the project. 

Interview conducted August 12, 2014