I-Show '08 Can Make Your Idea a Reality

If you're an engineering student with a novel product idea that you want to move to the next level — evaluation by experts and commercialization — ASME encourages you to enter that concept in the 2008 Innovation Showcase (I-Show), to be held in Boston this October.

The ASME I-Show will be held Oct. 31 during the ASME International Mechanical Engineering Congress and Exposition at the Sheraton Boston Hotel. The show will provide entrepreneurial teams with the full experience of technology product commercialization, bridging the gap between engineering and business school.

Through the competition, which was developed by ASME and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA), selected teams will attend Invention to Venture workshops and learn about technology commercialization and business plan development.

In addition, the teams will be matched with local entrepreneurs and experts based on their areas of expertise to help refine their product, and develop a business model and an elevator pitch to entice venture capitalists.

Teams that complete the workshops will then compete at I-Show '08 in Boston, where they will present their technological innovations to a judging panel of successful innovators, industry experts, venture capitalists, and intellectual property specialists. Focusing on product innovation and commercialization, the teams with the most creative yet feasible ideas will be rewarded with industry recognition and access to more than $20,000 in seed funds for their inventions.

Applications for I-Show teams will be accepted through April 15. To fill out an application form, visit the NCIIA Web site, www.nciia.org/r_ishow.html.

For more information on the I-Show, contact Patti Jo Snyder, ASME, (202) 429-9417, e-mail SnyderP@asme.org.

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