Prospective Clinic Sponsors

Benefits of Clinic Sponsorship

As a capstone of the curriculum, the Clinic Program engages students in solving real-world, technical problems for corporate, government and non-profit clients. Unlike many academic partnerships, all intellectual property and work product resulting from the project belongs to the sponsors.

Every year, nearly all Clinic sponsors report their projects are successful. For some, that means cost savings or process improvements, for others it means filing a patent that may be commercialized. Sponsors also say Clinic:

• Helps energize engineering staff
• Offers a low-risk way to try a creative approach to a challenge
• Provides professional development for emerging leaders

Clinic Timeline

Sponsoring a Clinic

Sponsors/Liaisons

• All IP (intellectual property) resulting from the projects belongs to the sponsor.
• The sponsor liaison is asked to spend no more than two hours per week.
• Fees paid by the sponsor cover materials and two team trips to their site.
• Sponsors approve all public materials and presentations.
• Final written reports are sent to the sponsor upon completion of the project.
• We routinely sign non-disclosure agreements; our Honor Code-bound students understand the significance of these agreements.

Student Teams

• Clinic projects run September–May.
• Clinic teams consist of 4–5 students.
• Each student commits 10 hours per week (1,200–1,500 hours total for each project team).
• Clinic teams present project results on campus (within the bounds of the NDA).
• Teams present the final work to their sponsor onsite (when possible).
• A faculty advisor acts as a coach/mentor to the team.

The video below offers insight into the liaison experience from past sponsors.

For more information about sponsoring a project, email clinic@hmc.edu.