Economic Development and Industry Relations Research
I conducted research on the potential for OSU to create a Student Innovation Center.
Duration
2 Months
Role
Researcher
Team
Four Design Interns including myself, and a Business Analyst
Key tools
Adobe Indesign, Lightcast
Background
OSU's EDIR plan is a strategic initiative aimed at enhancing the university's impact, collaboration, and outreach. The Investment grade proposal (IGP) emphasizes OSU's leadership in collaborating with university-industry-government partners in specific sectors. The plan is aligned with OSU's Strategic Plan 2024-30, which envisions a university that fuels a thriving world. By 2030, the EDIR initiative aims to drive an economic impact of $250M, supported by strategic investments, personnel additions, and the launch of various projects.
Within this project, I had the opportunity to contribute to the IGP. My research culminated in the creation of two pages in the appendix of the proposal. This involved in-depth research, analysis, and synthesis of information to support the overarching goals of the EDIR plan.
Client
Economic Development and Industry Relations Design Team
The team of faculty consisted of college deans and other key stakeholders.
The Challenge
Understand the landscape of student innovation centers across institutions.
Identify exemplary models to inform the IGP.
The Outcome
Strategy Table
Project Start
The project commenced with the development of a strategy table, formulated from preliminary research, presenting a range of options. Four interns, including myself, were each allocated distinct sections of this table. My specific responsibility was the "University/Industry Innovation Infrastructure" segment. The portion presented below represents a fraction of my section. I've highlighted this particular segment as, post-discussion, I was tasked with delving deeper into the infrastructure supporting student innovation and entrepreneurship, a direction steered by stakeholder interest.
Deliverable
Appendix Pages
The subsequent pages represent my input to the IGP. My research began with a landscape analysis of student innovation centers at various institutions. Through this analysis, Iowa State's center emerged as a notable example. This led to further online research and a discussion with the director of the Student Innovation Center at Iowa State University. The appendix integrates findings from both secondary sources and this interview.
