At the first-ever IU Economic Development Summit held on August 12, the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering spotlighted its Shoemaker Innovation Center and Cheng Wu Build Clinic through a dedicated session focused on strengthening Indiana’s manufacturing ecosystem. The event, organized by University Relations, brought together leaders from academia and regional organizations to explore collaborative strategies that support workforce development, innovation, and regional economic growth. n nA key focus was expanding partnerships with local nonprofits such as Conexus Indiana to build a stronger pipeline between student innovators and the state’s manufacturing sector. Travis Brown, Senior Executive Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Shoemaker Innovation Center, emphasized the institution’s capacity to guide physical products from concept to production by tapping into Indiana’s industrial network. n nBrown explained that the Shoemaker Innovation Center has evolved from offering broad entrepreneurial support—now managed by IU Innovates through programs like Shoebox and StartupIU—to concentrating specifically on product development. This shift integrates established curriculum in product management with hands-on support from the Cheng Wu Build Clinic. n nHe highlighted that the center’s core mission remains rooted in interdisciplinary, experiential learning. By teaming up with organizations like Conexus Indiana, students gain access to industry knowledge and networks essential for transforming softtech ideas into tangible, market-ready hardtech solutions. n nThe panel, titled “Partnership to Foster a Manufacturing Pipeline through University Innovation,” featured Brown alongside Bryce Himebaugh, associate chair of Intelligent Systems Engineering and faculty director of the Cheng Wu Build Clinic, and Ryan Henderson, senior director of Innovation and Digital Adoption at Conexus Indiana. n nHimebaugh noted that the Build Clinic provides students with practical experience in engineering prototypes, and early collaboration with industry professionals ensures manufacturing feasibility is built into product designs from the outset. Henderson pointed out that other states have successfully linked student creators with manufacturers, suggesting Indiana could adopt similar models to boost advanced manufacturing and logistics. n nBrown concluded that the summit served as a valuable platform for identifying the skills universities should emphasize to prepare students for manufacturing careers, while also showcasing how local industry expertise can accelerate the commercialization of academic innovations. n— news from News at IU
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Luddy’s Shoemaker Innovation Center Explores New Collaborations to Grow Indiana’s Manufacturing Pipeline at the Inaugural IU Economic Development Summit
During the inaugural IU Economic Development Summit hosted by University Relations on August 12, the Luddy School of Informatics, Computing, and Engineering, with its Shoemaker Innovation Center and Cheng Wu Build Clinic, hosted a session that explored new collaborations with local nonprofits, such as Conexus Indiana, to foster a manufacturing pipeline and help students take advantage of Indiana’s manufacturing resources and expertise. n nThe focus of IU’s new summit was to discuss how its leaders across Indiana are building economic development partnerships to drive workforce development and talent pipelines, university-industry collaboration and innovation, entrepreneurship and small business support, and community and regional development. n nThe need for greater collaboration is there, said Travis Brown, Senior Executive Assistant Dean and Executive Director of the Shoemaker Innovation Center, and the Luddy School has the resources, and student innovators and entrepreneurs, to take physical products from prototype through to manufacturing while utilizing state of Indiana businesses. n nThe goal is to formalize new partnerships with local economic development groups, Brown said, and ultimately increase student readiness, enhance manufacturer-student engagement and grow the manufacturing pipeline. n n“The Shoemaker Innovation Center has transitioned from general entrepreneurship support, with the migration of the Shoebox incubation program and StartupIU newsletter and website to IU Innovates, to specializing in product development, leveraging the existing product management programs in conjunction with the new product development support provided through the Cheng Wu Build Clinic.” n nAdded Brown, “The mission of the Shoemaker Innovation Center has always been to promote cross-disciplinary, experiential education. Collaborating with local nonprofit organizations, like Conexus Indiana, can provide the industry expertise and ecosystem connections students need to bridge the gap between softtech and hardtech within the Luddy School to facilitate students converting their intellectual property into commercializable products.” n nBrown was one of three speakers at the summit, which was titled, “Partnership to Foster a Manufacturing Pipeline through University Innovation.” The others were Bryce Himebaugh, Intelligent Systems Engineering associate chair and clinical associate professor, as well as Cheng Wu Build Clinic faculty director; and Ryan Henderson, senior director of Innovation and Digital Adoption, Conexus Indiana. n nDuring the summit, Brown emphasized the role of Indiana University in training the next generation of manufacturers, as well as developing innovations to generate demand for Indiana’s manufacturing resources. n n“The Cheng Wu Build Clinic offers students experiential learning opportunities related to the engineering prototypes for student innovators. Collaboration with industry leaders will allow students to engage early in the development process to ensure that manufacturing considerations are incorporated into the design,” said Himebaugh. n n“Other states have developed strong models for connecting manufacturers and student innovators,” said Henderson. “Our conversation at the summit opened the door to exploring similar opportunities in Indiana, where industry leaders and student entrepreneurs can come together to drive product development and reinforce our state’s leadership in advanced manufacturing and logistics.” n nBrown extolled the value of the summit for generating ideas on what skills universities should teach students to prepare them for a career in manufacturing and showcasing how the existing expertise of the state’s manufacturers can be better leveraged to commercialize the innovations emanating from universities.