RICHARDSON, Texas (April 25, 2006) – Faculty and researchers from University of Texas (UT) System campuses in North Texas will gather at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) May 4 for an entrepreneurship and commercialization “boot camp” that is the first public event sponsored by the newly created Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UTD.
The event, which is open to the public, is designed primarily for faculty members, researchers and doctoral students at UTD, The University of Texas at Arlington and The University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas.
Attendees of the one-day seminar will hear presentations and panel discussions and participate in question and answer sessions with entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, UTD and UT Arlington faculty, legal experts and licensing professionals.
The Dallas offices of the international corporate law firm Jones Day are seminar co-sponsors.
“This event is central to the ideas behind The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UTD,” said Dr. Joseph Picken, the institute’s executive director.
“Our programs are designed to educate faculty and students about innovation and entrepreneurship and to support academic and research initiatives. We are especially interested in fostering cross-disciplinary collaboration,” he said, noting that the institute is a cooperative initiative of all seven schools at UTD.
Picken said the institute plans to sponsor a number of internal and community forums, business idea competitions and educational outreach programs, including two entrepreneurship and commercialization boot camps each academic year, one at the end of the fall semester and the other at the end of the spring semester.
The seminar program includes such topics as commercializing institutionally generated inventions, evaluating technology and business opportunities, creating a business plan and the “do’s and don’ts” of funding a startup company.
The event will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the TI Auditorium in the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Sciences. Admission is free to faculty, research personnel and students of UT System campuses. There is a registration fee of $85 for other attendees. Registration is available online at http://innovation.utdallas.edu/.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls nearly 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.