Entrepreneurship

Innovation for Good. Innovation for All.

The journey from problem to product isn’t an easy path. We know it’s easier if you take it with someone who’s been before.

At Duke, we’ve created an ecosystem to support innovation—including a team of seasoned entrepreneurs and a team dedicated to discovering how to make the innovation process faster, cheaper and easier.

The BRiDGE Incubator space in the Chesterfield Building in downtown Durham.

Duke Engineering Innovation

During FY23

98

new invention disclosures

40

patents issued

3

new companies spun out

$7.7M

revenue from our inventions

The Christensen Family Center for Innovation

Central to CFCI’s approach is integrating student talent into every part of the innovation process. Through supportive experiential, hands-on learning, our students gain the skills and confidence to drive real-world impact by transforming their ideas into market-ready products.

  • Founder advisors network
  • Research acclerator
  • Product development lab
  • Research spin-out incubator
  • Regional partnership gateway
More about CFCI
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Hannah Wilen

At Duke, I came to understand how startups create positive change in the world.

 Hannah Wilen Class of 2020 and co-founder, Capd Period
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Duke-Coulter Partnership

Powered by the legacy of biomedical inventor Wallace H. Coulter, Duke-Coulter has spun out new health technologies, companies and licenses since 2006. Its unique innovation model creates teams of Duke biomedical engineers and Duke Health clinicians.

More about Duke-Coulter
Barry Myers, MD, PhD, Professor of Biomedical Engineering, researches the biomechanics of head and neck injury with the goal of injury prevention. Photographed in his office in Hudson Hall. Dr. Myers founded and directs the Coulter Foundation Translational Partnership Program at Duke that provides $1 MM in early stage funding and management to faculty health care innovations annually with a goal of licensing and creating new life science start-up companies. He is also Director of Innovation in the newly formed Duke CTSI where he is responsible for the consult service that provides funding and project management support to faculty translational research projects in the Duke Medical Center. Dr. Myers created and leads a national translational research fund intended to reduce injuries in professional football.

Student Entrepreneurship

Both undergraduate and graduate innovators have the opportunity for personalized guidance from experienced entrepreneurs. Specialized programs, including graduate and undergraduate curricular certificates, an elective track within our Master of Engineering Management, and the A. James Clark Scholars program provide sustained and deep explorations of the process of innovation. Students have access to funding and resources to support the development of their entrepreneurial projects, including the $20,000 Baquerizo Innovation Grant.

Opportunities Include:

  • BME Design Fellows
  • EGR 102: Design 2 Deliver
  • Tool-filled maker spaces
Explore the opportunities
First cohort of A. James Clark Scholars at Duke University

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