Small seed funding and mentorship for innovative projects with technology.

More Details Apply Now Grant Projects

Jumpstart your project with an Innovation Grant.

The goal of the Co-Lab is to encourage and support students who want to build and experiment with new technology. Sometimes it takes a little help. We want to work with you directly, one-on-one, to help you develop your project, from start to distribution.

How this all works

Students with an idea will complete an application outlining a project involving innovative use of technology. This could be a software project, hardware project, an art project, or something entirely different. As long as there's a technology component, we want to hear about it. This application will include details like project timeline, team members, resources required, technical/expert assistance required, as well as a budget request. Budgets will be commensurate with project scope and complexity, experience, team size, materials cost and project duration. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, and reviewed by the Co-Lab. After review, applications can either be accepted, returned for additional information or revisions, or declined.

On Acceptance

Once a project is accepted, the team member(s) will meet with a representative from the Co-Lab to establish a project plan at a Kickoff Meeting. We will discuss the budget and the best way to issue those funds (sometimes we provide it all up front, other times we do not). We'll set up a regular schedule to meet throughout the project timeline. We can also set up a private channel in Slack where we can communicate with members of the team on updates and progress.

Throughout the Project

The Co-Lab representative will serve as a Project Manager and primary advisor to the Team, and will have regular check-ins to review progress and address any issues that need to be resolved. We can provide consultation on your ideas, help wireframe or work through stumbling blocks, or seek additional advice or expertise from our colleagues. You'll also complete a few progress write-ups to keep a log of the project, including successes and roadblocks along the way. We'll post these on your team's project page.

On Completion

On successful completion of the project, a final Wrap-Up Meeting will take place with the Co-Lab Project Manager (and any other Co-Lab representatives) for a product demo. The Co-Lab will then begin a concerted marketing effort with the team around the project to help drive adoption and/or awareness of the project, including, but not limited to, social media efforts, traditional advertising, policy revisions, and, if appropriate, a recommendation for inclusion in the official DukeMobile App. The project's files will all be posted on Duke's code repository, GitLab. We may also hold Demo events once or twice a year to have you show off your work to an audience of peers, faculty, staff, and local entrepreneurs.

To Apply

The application must include the following:

  • Project Name
  • Description of Project
  • Listing of Team Members, as well as individual qualifications (see more info on team building below)
  • Intended Audience for project
  • Innovative Use of Technology
  • Benefit to the Duke Community
  • Project Timeline (see agile development info below
  • Technology resources required (including any that are not readily available)
  • Technical / Expert assistance required
  • Stipend Request
When You’re Ready, Apply Here