Hartford Business Journal

HARTFORDBUSINESS.COM | July 18, 2022 9 The first thing Caroline Dealy wants people to know about UConn's TIP Innovation Fellowship Program is that it is not a summer internship. "This program is an academic entrepreneurship experience," says Dealy, an associate professor at UConn Health, and founder and director of the program. "Its purpose is to provide real-world experience in how innovative ideas and cutting- edge technologies become the products and services that benefit health and society." In a start-up company, everyone is involved from working in the lab to pitching to investors, says Dealy, "TIP fellows become bona fide startup team members. They are encouraged to use their creative energy and ask questions. It's an immersive experience that builds confidence and hones creative problem-solving." Since its founding in 2012, the TIP Fellows program has placed 189 students in 60 university- affiliated technology startups. This year's cohort of 33 UConn students includes undergraduate and graduate students from 20 different majors in business, life sciences, health, and engineering. Most of the students are Connecticut residents, and a quarter are from traditionally under- represented groups or the first in their families to attend college. The increased participation in the program corresponds to growing interest among students in entrepreneurship and the expansion of technology development by the state of Connecticut. This year, 220 students applied to the program, and there were 51 company opportunities available for matching – but only 33 could be accommodated due to limited funds. "UConn has been extremely supportive of the program but keeping pace with demand will require corporate patrons and private donors to sponsor named student fellowships," Dealy said. "Our goal is to impact as many students as possible." The program's academic structure includes training in entrepreneurship through summer seminars and workshops that cover business development and strategy, patents, venture finance and professional career development. Many fellows stay on with their host startups after the summer ends as either part- or full-time hires, or to extend their summer projects into longer-term academic honors, capstone, or scholars research. The TIP fellows will share their summer projects at UConn Summer Research Day on July 29. "To move our global world forward, we have so many problems to solve," says Dealy. "We need all kinds of people working creatively together. This program is a unique way to prepare students for the future. I'm hoping it will grow the next generation of problem solvers and solution builders we need." UConn Pharm.D. candidate Saba Azam '23 performs work for Encapsulate, a biochip company in UConn's Technology Incubator Program in Farmington and one of the hosts for the TIP Innovation Fellowship Program. Learn more at s.uconn.edu/TIPfellowship U C O N N R E S E A R C H A strong partner in Connecticut's future. Launching Young Careers Through UConn TIP Innovation Fellowship Program SPONSORED CONTENT

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