IP Finance doesn't know whether anything will come of the entries, but the
2012 International Graduate Student Business Plan Competition looks like a worthwhile cause. According to the information available:
"... the Licensing Executives Society Foundation, in cooperation with the Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. and Canada) and the Licensing Executives Society International, officially kicked off registration for its 2012 International Graduate Student Business Plan Competition http://les2012.istart.org.
Again this year, LES registration is being kicked off during Global Entrepreneurship Week (GEW), an annual initiative of the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation designed to help people explore their potential as self-starters and innovators. ...
In response to the world’s growing reliance on innovation, the LES Foundation is working to ready the next generation of IP and licensing professionals through mentorship and educational programs, like the Competition, that build intellectual property (IP) and licensing know-how. ...
Starting today, graduate students, including MS/MBA/MD/JD/PhD and postdoctoral scholars, from across the globe are invited to register to participate in the 2012 LES Foundation Graduate Student Business Plan Competition, which uniquely focuses on business plans that include an overview of IP assets and describe how those assets will be managed and commercialized to achieve business goals.
This year, student teams will compete to win expenses-paid trips to the Final Round of Competition at the LES (USA & Canada) Spring Meeting in Boston, MA, May 15-17, where they will attend educational sessions, mingle with global IP leaders and compete for the $10,000 Grand Prize and valuable in-kind prizes or the $5,000 Global Award. Runner-up teams receive $1,000. Students receive comprehensive feedback throughout the process from IP business leaders who share valuable expertise earned in the trenches of businesses ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500 companies.
For more information on the 2012 Competition and the LES Foundation, click here".
IP Finance hopes that there will be a good response from Europe to this call for innovative creativity. If you know anyone who might be able to take advantage of this initiative, please forward this post to them as soon as possible.
