Students invited to join first Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge

February 27, 2024
Sustainability is the focus in URI’s first Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge program. This semester’s challenges range from rooftop gardens to robot hotels, with prizes offered to student innovators across campus this spring. Students are encouraged to apply now.

Challenges range from rooftop gardens to robot hotels, with prizes offered to student innovators across colleges this spring

Feb. 26, 2024 – University of Rhode Island students are invited to join the University’s inaugural Innovation and Entrepreneurship Challenge sponsored by 401 Tech Bridge, a division of the URI Research Foundation, and funded by RISE-UP. Innovation challenges are offered to students across programs, interests and colleges, from a challenge to build a green rooftop utopia on Lippitt Hall to a challenge to create underwater hotels for robots, and more.

The initiative is drawing multidisciplinary participation across colleges at URI, as well as the Honors Program, with a variety of challenges centered on the theme of sustainability. The new program invites URI students to contribute to the University’s 10-year strategic plan and joins a culture of cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship and innovation at the University.

Challenges are open to students—both undergraduate and graduate—from any program or major. Students can apply for any challenge and do not need to be a student in any sponsoring college or program. Teams can be composed of one to six members and are eligible to enter multiple challenges.

Prizes for the challenges range from $250 to $2,000, with challenge offerings continuing to be updated. The Graduate School of Oceanography is sponsoring the following challenge:

Underwater Hotels for Robots
Students are invited to propose a design of a modular hotel for autonomous underwater robots in different sizes and shapes. 
Sponsor: Graduate School of Oceanography

Read about the other program challenges on Rhody Today. See the RISE-UP Challenges page for the latest challenge updates.

All entries are due before the end of the spring semester, so interested students are encouraged to apply now.