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== Student innovation and entrepreneurship<br/> ==
NDSU's '''Innovation Week ''' and '''Innovation Challenge ''' competition are the university's most advertized and popular innovation events. I-Week and I-Challenge are part of a 3-month annual program focusing on student innovation teams, culminating in a public exhibition and panel judging of ideas. Students form teams of their own volition and work on ideas wholly their own; the only faculty involvement is a required faculty mentor, the precise role of whom is up to the individual team. Seminars, brown-bag lunch presentations, and bootcamps are peppered in through the duration of the program, allowing students to learn from industry and startup veterans alike. At the end of the judging week, a keynote speaker is brought in to network and speak to students. Last year, Dr. Randal Pinkett, a nationally recognized entreprenuer, scholar, and author agreed to speak to students. The author of this wiki page was fortunate enough to meet Dr. Pinkett in person and will attest that the ability to do so is a huge boost to inspiration for student innovation. From the ideas, $20,000 is distributed to the victor teams, to be spent however the students wish.
NDSU and UND have a collaborative program to offer students of any major an ''''Entrepreneurship Certificate'''.' This certificate is earned upon completion of five 2 & 300 level entreprenuership courses. As NDSU does not have a proper Entreprenuership department, the certificate is offered through the College of Business. In earning the certificate, students can expect to learn about intellectual property, management, marketing, accounting, design thinking, and venture capital- all with the twist of being specifically designed for providing students with the most important areas of those fields they'll need to thrive in a start-up.