SISU: The Innovation Institute at Northern Michigan University is seeking campus proposals for its new funding program, “Illuminating Ideas.” The deadline is 5 p.m. Monday, Dec 19.
Proposals have a one-page limit, and must contain the following: a project description, goals, estimated budget and timeline. As a part of the submission process, applicants must attend a mandatory design thinking workshop (for time/date options, visit the website). Ideas chosen for funding will be announced in February 2023.
Illuminating Ideas is a revamped version of the Program Incentive Fund, which the NMU Board of Trustees initiated to implement new programs and services that would impact NMU students.
“We did some ideation, and the faculty and community members that were giving us some ideas really wanted a bit more to make sure that the integrative processes of design thinking were implemented,” said SISU Director Bill Digneit. “Thus, we came up with Illuminating Ideas, or the ‘What If' program. Our goal is to change Northern for the better, and to give the ability to see problems today as opportunities for tomorrow.”
The innovation funding is split into three different grants: Discovery Funding, or the funding of new ideas; Re-innovation Funding, the reimagining or redirection of existing programs or services; and the Innovation Implementation Funding, where an idea is taken from the drawing board straight to fruition.
For more information on Illuminating Ideas, or to submit a proposal, click here.