University of Delaware EDA University Center
Center Director
Amalea Rassias
Center Location
Science, Technology and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus, FinTech Innovation Hub
Center Since 2021
Center Activities
- Innovation & Entrepreneurship
- Workforce Development
- Business Development
Clients Served
- Students
- Faculty, Researchers
- Technology based Startups
- Entrepreneurs
Contact Information
Amalea Rassias
apm@udel.edu
Spin In® is an experiential learning program to stimulate innovation and entrepreneurship in the student community. The program utilizes University assets and partnerships to provide interdisciplinary teams of students with unique opportunities to solve real-world business problems within a real-world entrepreneurial start-up environment. This results in the development of new products, businesses with scalable opportunities, jobs, and a highly skilled workforce to support regional industries and initiatives.
Activities
In Spin In®, interdisciplinary teams of students partner with early-stage entrepreneurial companies to develop promising innovative ideas and address technical and business challenges. Teams of students are created with interdisciplinary skills, such as science, technology, business, finance, marketing, design, and policy that allow them to address the challenge. Teams are coached to self assemble into product development teams that work on solutions to challenges, then spin solutions back to the company or entrepreneur. This experiential training educates students and provides them with essential skills and direct experience that distinguishes them from others in a regional or national pool of highly skilled talent.
Leveraging
Spin In® is led by the University of Delaware's (UD) Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP). OEIP is an economic development portal that connects outside entities to resources for idea generation, intellectual property management and technology transfer, proof of concept and commercialization resources, workforce development, and extensive business advisory services to cultivate early-stage companies and industry partnerships. With part of its focus on discovering innovations, OEIP assists in the development and marketing of intellectual property to commercialize these innovative discoveries into marketable opportunities and/or new businesses. Students and entrepreneurs participating in Spin In® have direct access to this innovation through OEIP capabilities and partnerships, such as the Technology Transfer Office, Delaware Small Business Development Center, Delaware Procurement Technical Assistance Center, Horn Entrepreneurship and more.
Workforce Development
A critical component in discovering new innovations is the development of a highly- skilled, technical workforce — which is essential within vibrant regional economic ecosystems. To date, over 175 students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields have engaged in Spin-In programming, which leverages experts from OEIP and the broader University.
Innovation and Economic Development
Ultimately, the program's results speak for themselves. Through Spin-In, student participants have completed over 30 projects, developed 17 new products, and established five new businesses. These accomplishments positively benefit area businesses that engage with these student-driven projects and contribute to the broader regional economy through the creation of new products and jobs, and businesses with scalable opportunities. It also contributes to the region's workforce development effort by creating new talent with relevant skills for this growing field.