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.

Several programs exist that without explicitly focusing on entrepreneurship, allow students to develop critical skills in innovation and creativity. Generally, these three programs provide resources, directions, and support for motivated students with a certain skill set. The [http://creativecomputing.nd.edu/ Center for Creative Computing] provides leadership and resources to students with advanced skills in technology. With these resources, students work in an inter-disciplinary effort to address tasks relating to the arts, humanities or social science. The [http://ndias.nd.edu/ Notre Dame Institute for Advanced Study] sponsors a group of Residential Fellowships that provide funding for students of all disciplines. With funding, students are encouraged to explore innovative and creative ideas that may align with the goals of the NDIAS. The Creativity and Innovation Club is uniquely a student-driven effort. As a club, members strive to facilitate and encourage creativity and innovation through various activities. 

Beyond generally stimulating creativity and innovation, there are several groups on campus that explicitly focus on promoting entrepreneurship. As mentioned previously, the presence of four distinct programs allows for a variety of activities for a student to choose from. On the other hand though, there is overlap between programs and no strong line of communication. Hopefully our team may address these issues moving forward.