Client Profile:
The Innovation Accelerator (IA) is a public-private partnership with the National Science Foundation (NSF) whose mission is to promote our nation's competitiveness in the global economy by promoting America's innovation. Based in New York City and Omaha, IA serves emerging companies that have received significant grant funding from the NSF by helping them to succeed. IA works with emerging technology innovators and established technology companies across the United States. IA's mentors and corporate partners include Fortune 500 companies in various industry sectors, many of which have global reach.

Project Opportunity:
Currently, IA has no software solution to meet their needs of facilitating networking between grantees and mentors and tracking key mentoring activities. IA staff must personally introduce grantees and mentors. Tracking/logging processes require significant time and do not benefit from efficient methods for adding and distributing information regarding key mentoring activities.

Project Solution:
The Raikes School Design Studio team aims to create a social network bringing together grantees, mentors, corporate innovation partners, and governmental agencies in a way that publicizes, promotes, and commercially advances the innovations supported by the NSF. This solution will facilitate networking between the aforementioned persons, and enable the NSF and IA to track the activities of grantees and mentors to promote the successful commercialization of clients.

Technologies:

• Microsoft ASP.NET MVC 1.0
• Microsoft SQL Server Express 2008
• Possible integration with existing client software