What Sponsors Get
A working prototype
Teams design, build, and test hardware against your requirements and specifications. You end with a final design ready to implement or a proof-of-concept with real economic upside.
Every line of IP
All intellectual property generated during the project belongs to your organization, and every piece of hardware purchased with sponsor funds becomes your property at completion.
An 8-month interview
Your Technical Director works with the team weekly. By April you know their skills, work ethic, and fit better than any interview could tell you.
R&D off the back burner
The strategic projects your team never has bandwidth for finally get dedicated engineering hours, fresh eyes, and momentum.
Consulting-week pricing
900 to 1,200 hours of dedicated engineering work for a sponsorship grant that costs less than one week of a consulting engineer.
A calendar that fits
September through April, with an intensive winter-break build sprint of up to 30 hours per week per student.
Every ELECOMP senior completes a two-semester, team-based capstone design project defined by an industry sponsor. Your Technical Director sets the problem and mentors the team weekly, and the students bring the full design process to it: analysis, simulation, fabrication, and testing. The result is a working prototype and eight months of watching your potential next hires solve a real problem.
Is Your Project a Good Fit?
Six questions to ask before you write a proposal.
1. Does the scope fit 2–4 students over 8 months?
Typical projects run 900–1,200 engineering hours across design, build, and test. Each student works 10–15 hours per week, up to 30 during winter break.
Ideal projects are strategic back-burner problems: not mission-critical, but with high upside.
2. Will it end in a hardware or software solution?
Teams build working prototypes tested against your customer requirements and engineering specifications, ending in a design ready to implement or a proof-of-concept.
3. Is it a true engineering design project?
Projects should draw on the first three years of the ELE/CPE curriculum: hand calculations, simulation, equipment selection, sensor integration, programming, controls, and more.
4. Can you assign a Technical Director?
A company engineer serves as subject matter expert, meeting the team about 2 hours weekly, in person or virtual, with weekly progress reports and email access anytime.
This mentorship is one of the most valued parts of the program for students and sponsors alike.
5. Is it worth a financial commitment?
A sponsorship grant is required for each project, funding primarily the fabrication and testing of prototype hardware, all of which becomes yours at completion.
6. Does it fit the academic timeline?
Design: September – December
Fabrication & Testing: January – April
Student work cannot be guaranteed or warrantied. The solution should not be critical to your enterprise’s survival.
Teams are typically 2–4 students, with larger teams considered case by case. Students maintain detailed digital logbooks throughout, as done in industry, and your sponsorship grant also directly supports the Capstone Design Program itself.
For more detail, see the Technical Director Roles and Responsibilities and our Frequently Asked Questions.
Ready to Submit a Proposal
If you’re interested in sponsoring a project, the process starts with our Project Proposal Template Guide, which walks you through filling out the template with a completed example to reference. Once your proposal is filled out, email it to Professor Harish Sunak at harishsunak@uri.edu.
View the Template GuideConnect With Us
Professor Harish Sunak, Capstone Program Director. harishsunak@uri.edu | (401) 874-5859. Sponsor a project, hire our graduates, or visit the lab.
