Accelerate it!

NCIIA is pleased to announce a NEW E-Team Program, starting in fall 2012. The program provides early-stage support and funding of up to $75,000 for young entrepreneurs working on market-based technology inventions.

Since 1995, our E-Team grants have been funding collegiate student/faculty teams in moving ideas out of the lab and classroom and into the marketplace. The 2012-13 E-Team Program enhances this opportunity by providing expert entrepreneurial and venture coaching, experiential workshops, and a potential investment opportunity to help realize the commerical success of the technology inventions and innovations that come through our organization.

Successful E-Team Program applicants may be invited to exhibit their technologies at Open Minds, the annual showcase of breakthrough technologies from NCIIA’s top student teams. The 2013 Open Minds exhibition will be held at The Smithsonian National Museum of American History.

E-Team Program stages

Stage 1 provides funding of up to $5,000 to attend a three-day strategy mapping workshop. The intensive hands-on workshop is based on NCIIA’s successful VentureLab format. The focus of Stage One is to evolve a sustainable business strategy and create milestones.

Stage 2 provides additional funding of up to $20,000. A required, intensive workshop based on the VentureLab format helps teams further refine business strategy. Tactical coaching from NCIIA follows the workshop, guiding the team to successful completion of milestones.

Stage 3 is an investment opportunity of up to $50,000. Selected E-Teams will attend a VentureWell invitation-only networking event in which they will have the opportunity to connect with potential investors.

Click here to view a video on the VentureLab workshops.

What’s an E-Team?

NCIIA defines an E-Team as a multidisciplinary group of students, faculty, and industry mentors working together to bring a technology-based invention (product or service) to market. The “E” stands for entrepreneurship.

Upcoming E-Team Program submission deadlines:

• October 5, 2012
• February 1, 2013
• May 10, 2013

Program guidelines

Read the guidelines before you apply!
The answers to most of your questions are in the program guidelines—program details and deadlines; how to apply; examples of eligible technologies; selection criteria; information about how to apply, and more.

Is the E-Team Program for you?

Students and faculty from NCIIA member institutions (US-based colleges and universities) are welcome to apply. Funding is awarded to institutions (not directly to individuals or teams). Submissions are evaluated by external panels of reviewers and will be judged on the following:

• Technical feasibility
• Business model and market potential
• Team makeup, expertise, and institutional support
• Social impact and/or positive environmental impact

How to apply

Click here to apply. Detailed instructions and information about the application process can be found in the program guidelines.

You may preview a PDF of the online application here. 
PLEASE NOTE: this PDF includes screen shots of NCIIA’s five-step proposal process. The proposal content shown may vary slightly from the E-Team Program proposal, but steps for the application are the same. This PDF is for preview purposes only.

Have an idea but not sure whether it’s a fit with the E-Team Program? Send a 1-2 paragraph summary to grants@nciia.org and we’d be happy to review it and provide you with feedback. Please note that due to high volume, we are unable to guarantee replies to last-minute inquiries made less than two weeks prior to the proposal deadline.

Contact us

Questions? Contact us: grants@nciia.org or call 413-587-2172.