The Intern Experience
CCEW's interdisciplinary Internship Program brings students from across the university to propel Oklahoma's research and intellectual property towards the marketplace.
To date CCEW has provided more than 100 internships to University of Oklahoma undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of backgrounds, including students from the colleges of Arts and Sciences, Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences, Business, Earth and Energy, Engineering, Fine Arts, Journalism, and Law. Together, these students have collaborated on 16 different commercial opportunities with the assistance of more than two-dozen private sector mentors and inventors.
Collectively, CCEW commercialization teams have launched new companies, negotiated licensing agreements, sourced management teams, and have attracted nearly $1 million of funding to propel Oklahoma technologies forward. Interns are selected for a one-semester internship that has four unique components:
CCEW Boot Camp
Diversity makes the program unique and ultimately more rewarding, but with such a variety of backgrounds it is crucial to start out on the right foot. Boot Camp is a two-day seminar intended to provide interns with the same "tool box" for success regardless of their academic backgrounds. Boot Camp provides participants an overview of the entrepreneurial process and introduces them to the technology-based projects that they will be working on throughout the semester.
Commercialization Work
Interns spend the majority of their internship time with their commercialization teams, working on a strategy for the advancement of the commercialization of the technology at hand. Commercialization activities vary based on technology-specific factors including (but not limited to) business plan creation, benchmarking, fund raising, strategic planning, etc.
CCEW Distinguished Speaker Series
Interns attend a weekly academic course to learn about different aspects of the entrepreneurial process from real-world experts. Interns can receive upper division academic credit for the internship for the following colleges:
- College of Arts and Sciences
- College of Engineering
- Honors College
- Price College of Business
CCEW Final Presentation
The semester culminates in a Final Presentation where the interns present their findings to leaders from across the university and state and recommend the path each technology should follow to move forward in the commercialization process.
In exchange for their efforts, CCEW interns receive a $1200 stipend and the opportunity to participate in a variety of authentic business situations and get to know distinguished executives, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Additionally, CCEW interns engage in career development opportunities designed to propel their careers following graduation.
For the intern, CCEW is a transformative experience. During their tenure at CCEW, interns build the entrepreneurial skills, professional relationships, and intergenerational friendships that will mark their lives for years to come.
CCEW In Profile
Former interns have found that a CCEW internship can offer several additional benefits.
