Frequently Asked Questions

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No. You do not have to have your own idea to participate in the ASSETT Innovation Incubator. If you are interested in discovering a project or team that aligns with your interests and/or drive, you may join the community during the idea submission phase to learn about, and contribute to, the ideas being submitted. Simply by participating as  a contributor in this phase, you may ultimately join an awarded team accepted into the three-year innovation incubator cycle.

Anyone who teaches, learns, or works in the College of Arts & Sciences at CU Boulder can participate in the ASSETT Innovation Incubator 2023-26 idea submission process. Note that while you may submit a draft idea as an individual, in order to submit a final idea at the close of the submission cycle, your proposed idea must demonstrate meaningful participation by at least three team members.

While the written idea submission itself is brief — approximately 1,000 words — the submission timeline spans about 2 ½ months. During this time period, you will have a chance to assemble an interdisciplinary team, to share your idea draft with the ASSETT Innovation Incubator community, garner insights on and additions to your idea from the community and provide the same for other ideas, and to iterate your idea along the way before you make your final submission. View the timeline on the Call to Participate Homepage or:

  View a PDF Version of the Timeline

Once you register to join the ASSETT  Innovation Incubator community, you will have access to the online idea submission platform where you can enter drafts and a final version of your 1,000 word idea submission. The idea submission asks that you address the following:

  • Project Overview 
  • Project Purpose 
  • Stakeholders + Needs 
  • Intended Impact 
  • Team Description
  • Intended Scale
  • Funding Request + Intended Use of Funds 
  • Anticipated Long-term Project Needs

  Download the Idea Submission Template

Innovation thrives in a diverse, generative environment. Cultivating an ethos of collaboration and transparency starts during the idea submission process. That’s why participants are invited to first submit an idea draft visibly on an online, community platform. And, it’s why opportunities and time for assembling team members and garnering idea input from community members is designed into the idea submission process. Anyone from the College of Arts & Sciences interested in participating in the idea submission process, and who has a CU Boulder Identikey, can become an ASSETT Innovation Incubator community member to gain access to the idea submission platform.

Proposed ideas will be evaluated on the following criteria:

  • Is the idea student-centered?
  • Does the idea break disciplinary boundaries?
  • Is the idea actionable within the next 3-5 years?
  • Can the idea scale for impact across the college?

  View the Detailed Evaluation Criteria

ASSETT, as a unit, is funded by a small fee incurred by all undergraduate students enrolled in or taking courses in the College of Arts & Sciences. The ASSETT Innovation Incubator is supported by a portion of those fees. This is why it is a priority of the program to award and support projects that clearly benefit undergraduate students in the College of Arts & Sciences. 

ASSETT’s mission is to integrate technology with pedagogy to promote impactful learning. As such, the ASSETT Innovation Incubator’s definition of technology encompasses any new, recycled, or repurposed disruptive idea or way of “doing” teaching and learning. Try us!

Teams accepted into the ASSETT Innovation Incubator will enter into a three-year community partnership. This partnership is characterized by both tangible and intangible benefits to the project, the team, and to individual participants, including:

  • Project grant funding.
  • Thought partnership within a supportive community.
  • Mentorship from past incubator participants.
  • Focused consultation from ASSETT staff.
  • Visibility on campus and beyond with potential university and/or community partners.
  • Advocacy to college leadership.
  • Research and publication support.
  • Support to pursue further project funding.

Question Not Answered? Contact us!

If you have more questions that are not answered here, please feel free to reach out to assett@colorado.edu