July 30, 2010

SIUC to host ‘Invention to Venture’ workshop

by Christi Mathis

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Could your idea for a new product, service or business be a commercial success and if so, how do you make it happen?

That’s what participants can find out at a fall workshop at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. “Welcome to Invention to Venture: Southern Illinois University” is set for 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Oct. 7 at the Dunn-Richmond Economic Development Center, 150 E. Pleasant Hill Road in Carbondale.

The focus of the workshop is on moving great ideas toward commercialization. While the target audience is university and community college students, anyone with an interest is welcome to attend. Workshop presentations will cover a variety of topics including securing venture capital, marketing, intellectual property, business plans and much more. Experts from throughout the region will provide important information about invention entrepreneurship.

The registration fee includes a participant guide, lunch, a continental breakfast and all workshop presentations. The fee schedule is:

• $5 -- Saluki CEO Corps members.

• $10 -- all other students.

• $15 -- faculty/staff (from any university/college).

• $20 -- all other community members.

The event is a cooperative effort from the SIUC College of Business and its Center for Innovation, Saluki CEO Corps, the Small Business Incubator Program, Southern Illinois Research Park and the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). To register, or for more information about the workshop, visit the website at www.invention2venture.org/soillinois/. Or, you can learn more by calling the Center for Innovation, at 618/453-7788.