Changes

The University of Notre Dame UIF team consists of four Biological Sciences majors striving to assess and improve the innovation and entrepreneurship landscape on campus. Our search has led us to analyze courses, clubs, workshops, competitions, programs and more that are aligned in the quest to galvanize the innovative and entrepreneurial thinking on campus. By conducting such a thorough investigation, we now may realize deficiencies and work to fill in these gaps, create infrastructure to connect disjointed efforts, and reach more students with the hope of generating a higher level of creativity.

The University of Notre Dame is has taken great strides in providing students, current and perspective, with entrepreneurial support. Outfitted with a well-staffed Innovation Park dedicated to nurturing start-up ventures, Notre Dame creates an environment for small companies to grow alongside others. However, the distance between campus and Innovation Park and lack of courses taught there does keep undergraduates away from the resources offered. Along with entrepreneurial support, Notre Dame also boasts a Masters in Patent Law program staffed with professors who are more than willing to help protect an idea. Students are well-informed on the availability of this offered course, however, the Masters program does require an extra year at Notre Dame to complete, and therefore is not attractive to all students who may be interested in pursuing other careers outside patent law and entrepreneurship.

<div><div>Finally, Notre Dame offers a unique Entrepreneurship Masters program in engineering and science, dubbed ESTEEM. ESTEEM's mission is to facilitate a deep dive into tech entrepreneurship, encompassing projects from molecular biology to social engineering&nbsp; [http://universityinnovation.org/images/b/b7/InnovationParkSign.jpgventures http://universityinnovation.org/images/b/b7/InnovationParkSign.jpgventures]. Classes are often offered in the afternoons to allow students to simultaneously gain working experience in local start-ups and complete their coursework. However, ESTEEM also requires a fifth year to complete, and therefore is not accessible to undergraduate students as of now.The University of Notre Dame is has taken great strides in providing students, current and perspective, with entrepreneurial support. Outfitted with a well-staffed Innovation Park dedicated to nurturing start-up ventures, Notre Dame creates an environment for small companies to grow alongside others. However, the distance between campus and Innovation Park and lack of courses taught there does keep undergraduates away from the resources offered.

== Institutional I&E ==

The hub of entrepreneurship at Notre Dame is the Gigot Center for Entrepreneurship in the Mendoza College of Business. In the Gigot Center is housed the Entrepreneurship Major/Minor, the Entrepreneurship Advisory Board, and the Entrepreneurs in Residence. The Gigot Center is also home to many of the entrepreneurial programs and events on campus, including Irish Impact and the McCloskey Business Plan Competition. Outside of the Gigot Center, there exist several research facilities on campus, including the Galvin Center for the Life Sciences, Stepan Biochemistry Research Facility, Harper Cancer Research Institute, Stinson-Remmick Engineering Research, and Fitzpatrick Hall of Engineering. &nbsp;Notre Dame is especially known for its research in the growing fields of nanotechnology and sustainable energy.&nbsp;

[[Elena Brindley|Elena Brindley]]