When it comes to promoting an environment that’s conducive to research commercialization and innovation, some schools stand out as exemplary in taking an aggressive, active role in shaping a entire culture of entrepreneurialism. The University of Maryland (UM) is one of those schools, and its Technology Start-Up Boot Camp plays a critical role in shaping that culture — as well as fueling technology transfer efforts. “The end goal for us is to create a culture of entrepreneurship pervasive throughout campus. Everything we do is to promote the culture, and that was the idea behind our boot camp when we started 10 years ago,” says Dean Chang, PhD, director of ventures and education at the Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute (Mtech). Chang also serves as director of UM’s Technology Advancement Program.
A decade ago, the intensive, one-day workshop and networking event was launched to promote the school’s Hinman CEOs, an experimental initiative that placed entrepreneurially minded undergraduates from all academic disciplines in a dorm together, where they could learn how to launch new ventures in a 24/7 environment that oozed entrepreneurial spirit. The Hinman CEOs community has grown and spawned numerous companies and entrepreneurs, but that original boot camp has also evolved into a premier event for UM, promoted now not only to undergraduates but also to faculty, staff and regional businesses. “When we first launched the boot camp, we had the country’s first living/learning experience for students in a high-tech dormitory,” Chang said. “The boot camp was a way of kicking off the year. But over the years, the boot camp has become a preeminent event for the entire start-up community.” A detailed article on the start-up boot camp appears in the November issue of Technology Transfer Tactics. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.