The aim is to find North Dakotans who have ideas that can become business success stories.

Innovate ND is an intensive program that provides direct assistance to innovative people who have new business ideas. Coordinated by the Office of the Governor, North Dakota Department of Commerce, University of North Dakota’s Center for Innovation and the NDSU Research and Technology Park, participants have access to online education, business planning tools, seed capital and business coaching and mentoring.

“All of North Dakota’s higher education campuses are involved. The goal is to facilitate entrepreneurship in all corners of the state,” explained Karen Froelich, NDSU associate professor of management, marketing and finance.

In Froelich’s case, the effort consists of Master of Business Administration students aiding NDSU’s Engineering Scholar Teams, which are informal, interdisciplinary groups of scientists and engineers working on commercializing intellectual properties. The students help develop business plans for transforming a brainchild into commercial products.

Some of the ideas are amazing. One NDSU MBA student worked on a business plan for a concept of a space suit for passengers in sub-orbital flights. Another prepared a business plan for a hydrodynamic impedance chamber, which would test pressure flows for devices used in heart operations.

“These ideas are really in the pre-product stage, but this is one way that we can participate,” Froelich said. “Innovate ND is interested in all types of innovations, and they are really making an effort to develop new ideas. They are actively seeking anybody from any faculty in the entire university system to develop mentoring podcasts or participate in entrepreneurship summits. They have conference calls once each month with campuses, state groups and the North Dakota Commerce Department.”

Innovate ND, which has commercial partners across the state, is looking for ideas in such diverse areas as aerospace, alternative energy, biotechnology, communications, healthcare, manufacturing, radio frequency identification, services or value-added agriculture. Cash awards totaling $20,000 are being offered in a number of categories. There is a $100 fee to participate.

“One of the major values of the program is the visibility it gives to North Dakota’s commitment to encouraging, with real resources, the entrepreneurs in the state,” said Ron Johnson, dean of the NDSU College of Business. “Innovate ND is the mechanism that brings all our resources to bear on this important topic for the state.”

For more information about Innovate ND, visit www.innovatend.com.