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Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The IDEA Center is the University of Notre Dame's fundamental resource for commercialization and entrepreneurial activities, from idea development to business formation, prototyping, and student entrepreneurial education. As part of Notre Dame Research, the IDEA Center provides the necessary space, services, and expertise to support the work of bringing the best Notre Dame faculty, student, and staff innovations to market.

The IDEA Center changes students’ lives through the discipline of entrepreneurship. Its flagship educational programs include an Undergraduate Minor in Innovation and Entrepreneurship and a Master’s Program in Engineering, Science, & Technology Entrepreneurship (ESTEEM), which is delivered in collaboration with the College of Science, the College of Engineering, and the Mendoza College of Business.

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The IDEA Center also supports Race to Revenue, a summer startup accelerator, where aspiring student entrepreneurs and founders have the opportunity to work full-time on their business ideas as a fully-funded internship. In addition, it hosts the McCloskey New Venture Competition, a signature event in the innovation ecosystem that serves as an opportunity to test the validity of ideas and innovations and allows Notre Dame students to develop skills directly transferable to the commercial market.