Visiting the University of Notre Dame Innovation Park
Last spring, I toured the Innovation Park at the University of Notre Dame during IDEA Week. The 55,000 square foot Innovation Park facility supports technology development and entrepreneurship. Home to a remarkable collection of startup and mature companies, representatives of the venture community, academics, students, entrepreneurs and inventors, the facility provides a platform for collaboration – what the University refers to as “a site of nucleation where productive collisions … take place”.
The Innovation Park is also home to the Idea Center, a resource for commercialization and entrepreneurial activities at Notre Dame, providing space, services and expertise for idea development, commercialization, business formation and entrepreneurial education. The Idea Center is also the lead organization behind IDEA Week. Taking place April 8 – 13, 2019, IDEA Week is an innovation Festival comprised of more than 50 events focused on providing students, alum and the community at large the opportunity to Learn, Play, Meet and Compete.
Ocean Tomo’s connection to the University of Notre Dame extends to both our CEO James E. Malackowski and our CFO Robert M. Hess; both are Notre Dame graduates. Jim and Bob oversee the Ocean Tomo network of more than 1,500 Notre Dame alums who have a career connected to intellectual property as an asset. The group strives to schedule one event each year as a networking opportunity and have made an open offer to the Idea Center to connect students and professors seeking input from IP professionals in a mentor/mentee relationship.