Innovation
Transforming Ideas into Impact
At Yale Engineering, innovation is a cornerstone of our ethos. We believe that groundbreaking ideas can come from anywhere, and we're committed to fostering an environment where curiosity and creativity thrive, and entrepreneurship flourishes. Our world-class faculty, dynamic students, and leading industry partners come together in a dynamic ecosystem that transforms cutting-edge research into real-world solutions.
We provide the resources, mentorship, and support needed to turn visionary concepts into successful ventures. Yale Engineering has been the launchpad for numerous successful startups, game-changing patents, and innovations that are shaping the future across industries. Whether you're a faculty member pushing the boundaries of your field, a student with a bold idea, or an industry leader looking to collaborate, Yale Engineering is your partner in innovation.
“Yale Engineering is building an innovation ecosystem that supports technologies from their earliest ideation all the way through commercialization. By fostering partnerships between university innovators and the wider technology and venture capital community, innovation thrives. These collaborations not only provide the resources and mentorship needed to grow early-stage startups but also ensure that the most promising technologies can scale and make a lasting impact on society.
Anna Barber
Partner, M13
Empowering Faculty Innovation
We support our faculty in pushing the boundaries of their research and transforming their ideas into impactful innovations. Our faculty members are not just educators and researchers; they are pioneers and entrepreneurs in their own right. A prime example of our commitment to faculty innovation is the Roberts Innovation Fund.
Roberts Innovation Fund
Launched in 2022, the Roberts Innovation Fund is a catalyst for faculty-led innovations at Yale Engineering, providing funding, expert mentoring, and strategic support to help commercialize breakthrough inventions that address real-world problems. With initial awards of up to $150,000, the fund offers more than just financial backing. It creates a robust ecosystem where faculty innovators receive invaluable feedback from industry veterans, gain access to comprehensive market research resources, and benefit from tailored mentorship programs. In line with Yale Engineering's Strategic Vision, the Roberts Innovation Fund bolsters the School's culture of innovation and entrepreneurship by advancing an ecosystem that brings to market discoveries that will benefit humanity.
Nurturing Student Entrepreneurs
We believe that our students are the innovators of tomorrow. We provide a rich environment for students to explore their entrepreneurial spirit, develop their ideas, and gain the skills needed to become successful inventors and business leaders. Two key resources supporting this mission are the Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY) and the Center for Engineering Innovation & Design (CEID).
Tsai Center for Innovative Thinking at Yale (Tsai CITY)
Tsai CITY is at the heart of Yale's commitment to fostering student innovation and entrepreneurship. This dynamic center serves students from across Yale's campus, including our engineering students, through a wide array of programs, funding opportunities, and mentoring initiatives. Tsai CITY's mission is to inspire students from diverse backgrounds and disciplines to seek innovative ways to solve real-world problems.
Center for Engineering Innovation & Design (CEID)
Since its opening in 2012, the CEID has been a cornerstone of collaborative design and interdisciplinary activity. The CEID's mission is to enable the design, development, and actualization of ideas, from conceptualization to real-world implementation.
At the heart of the CEID is the John Klingenstein Design Lab, an impressive and versatile 8,700-square-foot space that combines an open studio, lecture hall, wet lab, and meeting rooms. This state-of-the-art facility is equipped with cutting-edge tools including 3D printers, electronics workstations, and a variety of materials–all accessible to students, staff, and faculty from across Yale. CEID members enjoy 24/7 access to the studio space, fostering a culture of continuous innovation and creativity.
The CEID goes beyond just providing facilities; it offers a comprehensive learning environment. Through workshops and training sessions, members can build their skills with engaging, practical projects. The center supports interdisciplinary collaboration at all levels, from undergraduate clubs to hackathons, making it a hub for cross-pollination of ideas.
NSF I-Corps Northeast Hub
Yale University is a member of the National Science Foundation-funded I-Corps Northeast Hub. The hub provides entrepreneurial training, mentoring, and resources to enable researchers to form startup companies that translate laboratory discoveries into breakthrough products and services.
The I-Corps Northeast Hub is a coalition of universities that provides programs to help researchers explore the potential for scientific and technological discoveries to become products that can benefit society. Launched in January 2022 with a 5-year grant from the National Science Foundation (grant #NSF 2048602), the Hub is committed to serving researchers of all backgrounds with an emphasis on inclusive innovation.
The Northeast I-Corps Hub includes 11 institutions in total, with new partner universities joining each year.
Forging Industry Partnerships
Collaboration with industry is critical to bringing innovations from the lab to the market. Our partnerships with leading companies across various sectors form a vital bridge between academic research and real-world application, accelerating the pace of innovation and expanding the impact of our work.
These industry collaborations take many forms, each designed to maximize mutual benefit and drive technological advancement:
Integrated Research Projects
We team up with industry partners on relevant, real-time research initiatives, combining our expertise with industry insights to tackle complex challenges.
Technology Transfer
Our partnership with Yale Ventures helps translate groundbreaking research into commercial products and services, ensuring that Yale Engineering innovations make a tangible impact in the world.
Industry-Sponsored Research
Companies invest in specific research projects at Yale, gaining early access to emerging technologies while providing our researchers with real-world problems to solve.
Collaborators in Teaching
Our partners from industry serve as a valuable educational resource, regularly returning to campus to deliver compelling guest lectures and to co-lead seminar series. These engagements provide students with rich insights into real-world technology applications and industry dynamics while inspiring the next generation of innovators.
Internship and Recruitment Opportunities
Hosting on-campus engineering-specific recruitment events, our industry partners offer valuable opportunities for students to gain hands-on experiences, which often create a natural pipeline to their workforce.
Advisory Boards
Industry leaders serve on various advisory boards, providing strategic guidance to ensure our research and education programs remain relevant to current and future industry needs.
Entrepreneurship Support
Many of our industry partners contribute to our entrepreneurship ecosystem, offering mentorship, resources, and sometimes venture funding to student and faculty startups.
Through these partnerships, we create a dynamic ecosystem where academic ingenuity meets industry expertise. This synergy not only enhances our research capabilities but also ensures that the innovations developed at Yale Engineering are not just theoretically sound, but also practically viable and commercially relevant.
To learn more about partnering with Yale Engineering, contact us