Lab-to-Market-to-Lab Projects.
Students and faculty enhance their respective thesis and research projects for potential market capitalization. Donors can
contribute to the UPERDFI Innovation Grants Fund, to provide bridge financing to projects in the development and start-up
levels. On the other hand, businesses and corporations may enlist the help of the college for their specific research
and development needs. A digital platform is being built to connect students/faculty or “ideators” with investors. While
UPSCALE provides shepherding of projects, UPERDFI enlists industry mentors who provide much-needed entrepreneurial guidance
to project teams. These mentors may be compensated with shares of stock in the incorporated start-ups.
Collaborative Research Projects.
With the UP National Engineering Center (UPNEC) or with specific UPCOE Institutes and Departments, companies can engage faculty-led
teams in carrying out in-depth research projects. In many cases, technical staff of the involved company join in to carry
out defined parts of the study in their own laboratories, thus enabling skills exchange/transfer from academe to industry
and vice versa.