Edison Innovation Fellowship

Applications are Open for Fall 2026/Spring 2027! Current University of Notre Dame graduate students in the College of Science and College of Engineering, apply here by June 15.

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Applications are Open for Fall 2026/Spring 2027

Current University of Notre Dame graduate students in the College of Science and College of Engineering are invited to apply for the Edison Innovation Fellowship and/or enrollment in the Fall 2026 course, EG 67501/SC 67501 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact.

The Edison Innovation Fellowship is designed for graduate students interested in exploring how research innovations can generate real-world impact. Through coursework, hands-on learning, and exposure to innovation and commercialization principles, students will learn how discoveries move from the lab toward meaningful applications.

Program Overview

The Edison Innovation Fellowship experience is built around two graduate-level, 1-credit courses:

  • EG 67501/SC 67501 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact - Fall 2026
  • EG 67502/SC 67502 Research into Action - Spring 2027

Students selected as Edison Innovation Fellows will complete both the fall and spring courses. Students who are not selected as Fellows may still be invited to enroll in the fall course, space permitting.

The fall course is open to up to 25 graduate students from the College of Science and College of Engineering. From that group, 10 students will participate as Edison Innovation Fellows and continue into the spring course.

The Edison Innovation Fellowship cohort will include:

  • 5 students from the College of Engineering
  • 5 students from the College of Science

Selected Edison Innovation Fellows will receive a Spring Semester 2027 stipend of $17,077.50.

Ways to Participate

Applicants may be considered for one of two participation opportunities:

Edison Innovation Fellow

Students selected as Edison Innovation Fellows will enroll in the Fall 2026 course, EG 67501/SC 67501 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact, and continue into the Spring 2027 course, EG 67502/SC 67502 Research into Action.

Edison Innovation Fellows will receive the spring semester stipend and will complete a derisking plan in the spring course focused on accelerating the implementation of a particular technology or innovation, preferably one connected to their own research.

Fall Course Participant

Students who are not selected as Edison Innovation Fellows may still be invited to enroll in the Fall 2026 course, EG 67501/SC 67501 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact, space permitting.

The fall course is intended to be a low-commitment, high-value introduction to entrepreneurship, innovation, intellectual property, and research commercialization. Students should expect approximately:

  • 1 hour of class time per week
  • 1 hour of work outside of class per week

Selection as an Edison Innovation Fellow is not required to participate in the fall course.

Eligibility

To be eligible to apply, students must be current University of Notre Dame graduate students in the College of Science or College of Engineering.

All participants must receive approval from their faculty advisor to enroll in the fall course. Applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss their interest in the program with their faculty advisor before applying.

Students selected as Edison Innovation Fellows must successfully complete the fall course in order to continue into the spring course and receive the spring semester stipend.

Application Requirments

Interested students are required to complete the application form below and upload a one-page personal statement highlighting their:

  • Academic, research, and innovation qualifications
  • Interest in the program and its relationship to their professional and research goals
  • The technology, research project, or innovation they may wish to explore through the program

After the initial application deadline, faculty advisors will be contacted to confirm their support for the student's participation. Select applicants may also be asked to complete a brief one-way video interview to assist the selection committee in its decision.

Representatives from the Edison Innovation Fellowship Program, the respective Colleges, The Graduate School, and the IDEA Center will aid in the selection of Edison Innovation Fellows and fall course participants.

Application and Selection Timeline

  • Applications open: May 26, 2026
  • Applications close: June 15, 2026
  • Faculty advisor support requests sent: June 15, 2026
  • One-way video interview requests sent to select candidates: June 15, 2026
  • One-way video interview responses due: June 28, 2026
  • Faculty advisor statements of support due: June 28, 2026

Edison Innovation Fellow and fall course participant notifications sent: July 10, 2026

Courses

Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact (Fall 2026)

This course introduces graduate students to the key aspects required to generate impact from research innovations and the principles of entrepreneurship. The course includes units on lean practices, the entrepreneurial mindset, patents and intellectual property, and the evaluation and validation of novel technologies.

The focus of this course is to provide students with a fundamental awareness of the process by which their research can reach stakeholders, solve problems, and improve lives.

The fall course is open to up to 25 graduate students from the College of Science and College of Engineering. Students selected as Edison Innovation Fellows will take this course, and additional students may also be invited to enroll as fall course participants.

Time Commitment: Students should expect approximately 1 hour of class time and 1 hour of outside work each week.

Prerequisites: Faculty advisor approval is required. Selection as an Edison Innovation Fellow is not required to enroll in the fall course.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, it is anticipated that you will:

  • demonstrate a working understanding of the principles of Lean methodologies;
  • apply assessment criteria in evaluating the prospects for the impact of new technologies; and
  • begin to identify specific risks and assumptions associated with generating impact from primary research.

Questions about the class may be emailed to Emily Stoler (emily.stoler@nd.edu).

Research into Action (Spring 2027) 

This course serves as an in-depth exploration of the process of derisking early-stage research technologies as they are developed for impactful applications. Units covered include hypothesis testing, customer discovery, technical development, and iterating toward a minimum viable product.

The focus of the course is to equip students with the knowledge and tools to develop a derisking strategy for a piece of research technology in a learn-by-doing manner.

The Spring 2027 course is limited to the 10 students selected as Edison Innovation Fellows.

Prerequisites: Students must be selected as Edison Innovation Fellows and must successfully complete EG 67501/SC 67501 Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Impact.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Clearly identify assumptions and risks associated with generating impact from early-stage technologies
  • Formulate hypotheses and identify appropriate tools for testing them
  • Write and present a derisking strategy for technological development, including aspects of technical, problem, and customer validation

Questions about the spring course may be emailed to Emily Stoler at emily.stoler@nd.edu.

Past Student Testimonials

  • "What I love most about research is the hope that my work will have a real and tangible impact on the world. The Edison Innovation Fellowship seemed like the perfect opportunity to fuel this hope."
  • "I've gained invaluable insights into the conversion of laboratory-scale research into market-viable solutions."
  • "My primary takeaway from this program is that excellent benchtop research and securing intellectual protection are baby steps... for creating market-viable solutions."
  • "The Edison program has been the most thorough and in-depth professional development opportunity I have participated in at Notre Dame."

Additional Information

Questions about the Edison Innovation Fellowship may be emailed to Emily Stoler at emily.stoler@nd.edu.

For more information about the IDEA Center and/or resources available to students, please visit the IDEA Center About page and the Student Entrepreneurship page. To disclose a technology, please see the IDEA Center Website.