Innovative Society

We embrace innovation to redefine the future of learning, discovery, and design.

Engineers at Duke drive technologies to their fullest potential through creativity, interdisciplinary collaboration, and responsible entrepreneurship throughout every level of our school.

Our curriculum integrates real-world innovation through community-based design projects and industry-informed challenges. Entrepreneurial training and support in start-up incubation, intellectual property strategy, and technology transfer empower students and faculty alike to turn bold ideas into thriving ventures.

in per-faculty research expenditures

among top 25 U.S. engineering schools

Pratt start-ups have gone public since 2020

IonQ and 374Water

new invention disclosures

in FY25 alone

patents issued

in FY25 alone

These signature experiences prepare our graduates and their mentors to address pressing problems using advanced tools such as generative AI and sophisticated decision analysis. Duke engineers learn to translate ingenious ideas into impactful solutions.

Partnerships amplify our impact. Collaborations with experts across business, law, and policy ensure our solutions resonate with society. Strategic alliances with equally ambitious and like-minded companies, military programs, and research institutions guarantee our training and efforts align with emerging workforce needs across sectors.

At Duke Engineering, technical mastery goes hand-in-hand with developing strong character, clear communication skills, ethical decision-making, and collaborative leadership.

By cultivating curiosity and a passion for continuous learning, we ensure our community members are prepared to drive meaningful and responsible innovation throughout their careers.

Duke students work in the garage labs in Wilkinson on their projects for the Duke State Fair.

Technology to Products, Innovators to Founders

The Christensen Family Center for Innovation (CFCI) cultivates useful products and visionary founders, fueling a thriving technology venture pipeline. Whether it’s a student seeking hands-on experience, an emerging entrepreneur with a bold concept, or a seasoned professional mentoring tomorrow’s leaders, CFCI provides the ideal platform to transform ideas into reality.

Kevin Gehsmann, one of the three Duke undergraduate founders of Protect3d, takes Dr. Kent Ellington of OrthoCarolina through the company’s design process for bespoke orthopedic and protective equipment

Launching Entrepreneurs Before Graduation

With a suite of classes focused on design thinking and a vast array of entrepreneurial support systems, we are helping undergraduates form successful startups even before they leave campus. QuikCal, a software product designed to streamline construction site deliveries that began as a first-year design project, was acquired before its creators earned their bachelor’s. And a trio of senior design students recently raised tens of millions of dollars for their startup Protect3d, which creates individually tailored braces, splints, and pads for the world’s best athletes.

first-year engineering undergraduate students in the Class of 2029 experience their first day of classes and learn how to use tools at the Lenihan Design Pod — First-year engineering undergraduate students in the Class of 2029 experience their first day of classes and learn how to use tools in EGR101 (First-Year Design) at the Lenihan Design Pod.

Engineering Design From Day One

First-Year Design immerses undergraduates in client-driven challenges, guiding multidisciplinary teams to prototype solutions that have gone on to secure patents, compete globally, and even launch start-ups before graduation.

Design From Day One

Advanced Degrees Designed for Impact

Working hand-in-hand with industry leaders and guided by emerging trends, Duke Engineering has crafted a suite of master’s programs that are unmistakably Duke. From AI and cybersecurity to fintech, game development, and robotics and autonomy, we marry deep technical expertise with business acumen across a broad spectrum of future-focused disciplines.

Master Emerging Technolgy Trends

Photo of Jungsang Kim (right) and Chris Monroe (left), wearing protective sunglasses and looking at a computer screen.

From Main Street to Wall Street

Since 2020, two companies launched by Duke Engineering faculty and their research have gone public. IonQ, the first pure-play publicly traded quantum computing company, and 374Water, a novel, modular approach to treating waste and destroying “forever chemicals,” demonstrate our acumen for getting investors to back our innovations.

exterior view of Duke Medicine Pavilion in the evening

A Biomedical Pipeline

Since 2006, Duke’s collaboration with the Wallace H. Coulter Foundation has accelerated bioengineering breakthroughs, turning $15 million in grants into $1.24 billion in follow-on funding and launching 17 companies that bring life-changing therapies to market.

Advancing Society:
The Duke Engineering Strategic Vision

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