Own Your Design
Clemson is creating the next generation of entrepreneurs that will take on the world with their design. Student innovation and design play a crucial role in education and the broader development of novel products in the world. Our students are of the highest degree of innovators in the nation, and their designs win thousands of dollars every year.
The College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences provides a multitude of opportunities to enhance student innovation.
Program Spotlights
Spark Challenge
The Spark Challenge is a two-semester initiative and pitch contest designed to empower students and their innovative ideas in the fields of technology and entrepreneurship. Participants benefit from mentorship and guidance provided by experts from the campus Innovation and Entrepreneurship network and from financial support for their design.
Spark Challenge ProgramUniversity Innovation Fellows (UIF)
Fellows collaborate with fellow students, faculty members, and administrators to develop fresh educational experiences for students at their institutions, fostering their engagement with innovation, entrepreneurship, design thinking, and creativity. They create resources that will outlast their time on campus.
UIF Program
Entrepreneurship Hub
The Entrepreneurship Hub of Clemson University is located in downtown Clemson and offers memberships to students, faculty and staff to engage in entrepreneurial education, networking and support to launch their businesses.
Clemson LaunchpadClemson University Research Foundation (CURF)
CURF is a knowledgeable insider in both business and academia. As the facilitator of technology transfer at Clemson University, we are here to help Clemson faculty, staff, and students move their innovative technologies out of the laboratory and into the market.
CURF Innovation
Lightsey Scholars
The Martin and Linda Lightsey Engineering and Entrepreneurship Fund generates income used to grant scholarships to students majoring in engineering who are active participants in Innovation and Entrepreneurship Activities.
The Lightseys have also contributed to the funding of the Clemson University Makerspace, a facility where students receive instruction in the utilization of a diverse array of machinery, such as 3D printers, fabric printers, and a laser-etching device. A significant number of students utilize these resources to craft prototypes of products they aspire to bring to fruition.
Entrepreneurship Skills
There is growing support for entrepreneurship and innovation programs in Clemson University’s College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences.
"I think engineers are best qualified to become entrepreneurs. They have the best chance of understanding the technology that’s involved in anything new."
- Martin Lightsey '64
- Leadership
- Creativity
- Marketing
- Communication
- Networking
- Financial Management
- Problem-Solving
