Project sponsorship is a great way to build prototypes, explore new concepts and develop ancillary ideas while getting to know a team of soon-to-be professional engineers. The sponsor retains听any IP generated throughout the course of the project. Sponsorship, in many cases, includes financial support and mentorship of a team of five to seven students for a project cycle that lasts from August to May. Our sponsors play an important role in launching听students confidently into the workplace, simply by allowing them the opportunity to work on the kinds of projects they might tackle as an entry-level engineer.听
鈥婭f you are interested in sponsoring a project,听contact听Alan Goodman.
What Students Provide
- Each student team will commit at least 1,500 hours to the project.
- Student collaboration with professional engineers.
- 鈥婼tudents leverage over 50,000 square feet of active learning spaces and fabrication听facilities like听the Idea Forge and听the听Integrated Teaching and Learning Laboratory, among others.听If desired, students may also work at the sponsor's worksite.
- 鈥婼tudents budget time and materials听while gaining experience with industry procedures such as writing purchase orders and meeting deadlines under pressure.
- Each year, student teams submit approximately four written reports and many oral presentations on product development and testing.
"I have been looking forward to project work on a professional level for my entire undergrad. This course greatly exceeded my expectations for quality of collaboration and teamwork. Potential employers love asking about the project and are very impressed." - Past Senior Design Student
How Sponsors Contribute
- Sponsors pay a fee听of $16,000听for undergraduate and $25,000听for graduate projects. This fee听is split between student project budgets听and support of Idea Forge spaces, such as the听machine shop and the Chevron Design Studio, where students design and build hardware for their projects. The听difference in price is a reflection of the听difference in goals for the end product. While听undergraduate students endeavor on a best-effort basis to create a 鈥渢rade-show-ready鈥� prototype, graduate students work on a best-effort basis听to deliver a 鈥渕anufacturing-ready鈥� prototype.听Due to the best-effort nature of the engagement, sponsors are encouraged to submit projects that are not in their company鈥檚 critical development path.
- Sponsors are asked to provide an industry mentor who can commit 10 hours per semester to support the student team.听These hours are typically dedicated to weekly meetings with the students.鈥�
- Sponsors benefit from students鈥� fresh ideas, gain an edge in听recruiting top students to their company and obtain functional听hardware with documentation听at the end of the project.听A company鈥檚 investment may also result in听the company retaining exclusive听rights to the intellectual property developed. When intellectual property is developed, sponsors own all IP, while students are listed on any patents filed,听with no ownership rights.听
- With sponsor approval, students present their work at the CU Engineering Projects Expo, a public forum open to听family, friends, alumni and the community.听
"In all cases, your program has delivered excellent value to our company听and has provided a rich experience to the students involved.听I credit this to something unique in your approach at CU Boulder." -听Industry Sponsor
How Faculty Are Involved
- The faculty advisor听will devote over 40 hours to supervising the sponsored student team throughout the academic year.
- The faculty advisor assists student teams in understanding and executing the design process.
- The faculty advisor serves as听the primary point of contact for academic topics, including schedule, deliverables, grading and more.听
- The faculty advisor ensures that student teams meet the academic course goals and the company's project goals.
