Support Services for External Constituents

 

The Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UT Dallas (IIE) provides an initial point of contact for entrepreneurs, startup companies and individuals seeking assistance from the institute and the university with respect to projects, programs and new ventures within the general domain of innovation and entrepreneurship.

The faculty and graduate students of the university have considerable knowledge and practical experience in innovation and entrepreneurship, technology, business and marketing strategy, organizational development, operations management and finance that can be brought to bear in support of entrepreneurial business ventures. High potential undergraduate students are also available for selected projects.

 Services Available

These resources can be utilized to assist external constituents in addressing their needs in a variety of ways:

  • Business Opportunity Evaluation (market, technical, IP, and competitive assessments; summary assessment of feasibility and commercial potential).

  • Business Model Development and Evaluation (economic model).

  • Business Plan Development (review and critique of existing plans, development of financial models and projections, preparation and editing of complete business plans).

  • Technical Development Support (engineering consultation, technical evaluation of competitive products).

  • Business and Marketing Strategy Recommendations (strategy, channels, positioning, pricing, marketing and communications, distribution and support operations).

  • Organizational Development (organization design, infrastructure design, supply chain management, operations management).

  • Financing (definition of requirements, evaluation of alternatives, recommendations, assistance in preparation of grant and funding proposals).


Support Resources


Support to constituent companies may be provided in a number of ways. Options may include one, or a combination of, the following:

  • Faculty Consulting - External constituents can contract directly and individually with members of the Faculty within the guidelines of University policies governing faculty consulting arrangements. Rates for faculty consulting are negotiable directly with the faculty member.

  • Student Internships - Qualified engineering and management undergraduate and graduate students are available for student internships on a part-time basis (10-20 hours per week) during the academic year and on a full-time basis during the summer. Compensation is negotiable, depending on the experience and qualifications required, within a general range of $12 - $18/hour for undergraduate and $25 - $40/hour for graduate students. Companies may specify requirements, screen resumes and interview students to recruit the most suitable candidates.

  • Student Projects or Consulting Teams within Courses - a number of graduate courses in Innovation and Entrepreneurship require students (typically working in groups of 3-5) to complete various projects related to the course content. Projects are frequently structured to meet the dual objectives of course requirements and support to constituent organizations. Project objectives will be negotiated between the students and the company. Students will require reasonable access to company personnel during the project. Course-related projects must be structured to conform to the academic calendar (late August through late November or mid-January through late April). Student work will be performed for course credit without compensation from the company.

  • Special Projects: Student Consulting Teams under Faculty Supervision - Special project teams can be assembled upon request. Student interns (see above) would be recruited for the duration of a project and would work under the supervision of an IIE faculty member, who would be responsible for accomplishing the project deliverables. The constituent company would enter into a consulting arrangement with the faculty member and would compensate the students as interns.

The most appropriate framework for the support of a constituent company will be determined in discussions between the company and the responsible faculty member, subject to the constraints of governing University guidelines.



Requesting Support

All inquiries or requests for IIE support of projects conducted on behalf of constituent companies should be made in writing and addressed or forwarded to the Executive Director of the Institute (innovation@utdallas.edu). Companies are encouraged to provide as much information in the initial request. Requests should include, at a minimum, the following information:

    1. Name of the company

    2. Principal contact and full contact information

    3. Description of the innovation or entrepreneurial opportunity (attach relevant material)

    4. Objectives (see Support Capabilities above)

    5. Nature of support required (see Support Resources above)

    6. Proposed time frame for support effort

    7. IP Considerations (non-disclosure requirements)

Compensation

Although collaboration with external constituent companies is part of our mission, it should also be apparent that faculty and student time is a scarce resource that must be allocated appropriately among available opportunities. While some levels of support can be provided within the existing academic curriculum at no cost to constituents, higher levels of participation and support will require constituent companies to compensate faculty, students or the university for the time and effort expended at market rates.