What is MEEN?
The Midwest Engineering Entrepreneurship Network (MEEN) supports the efforts of Midwest technology entrepreneurship institutions through collaboration in educating, supporting, and connecting innovators to the ecosystem spanning the region. The geographic spread, diverse industrial base, and scale of the network facilitates the sharing of resources, connections and best practices, among the institutions involved. MEEN currently includes more than 30 universities which account for approximately $16B in federal research funding.
MEEN was established in 2011 by the University of Illinois Technology Entrepreneur Center and the University of Michigan Center for Entrepreneurship.
Annual Conference
Annually, MEEN holds a conference aimed at sharing best practices and methods for overcoming challenges unique to Midwest engineering entrepreneurship centers. Each year, a different university hosts the MEEN Conference.
The 2022 MEEN Conference will be hosted by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and held on Thursday and Friday, July 28 and 29 at the Big Ten Conference Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
Registration is now closed. If you have questions, please contact Kearsa Rawson at klrawson@illinois.edu.
Who should attend
This conference is open to University administration, faculty and staff working with technology entrepreneurship. Among others, representatives from entrepreneurship centers, technology commercialization offices, entrepreneurship education are encouraged to attend.
There is no fee to attend this event, but participants are responsible for providing their own transportation and accommodations.
Why you should attend
- Learn about Midwest opportunities for I-Corps
- Find how other universities are breaking down the educational silos
- Hear best practices in engineering entrepreneurship from other universities
- Describe a challenge you are having and learn how the MEEN network may help
We look forward to sharing and exploring new ideas and tackling the common problems we all face.
2022 Conference Agenda
2022 Theme: Broadening Participation & Building a Culture of Entrepreneurship
Day 1 | Thursday, July 28
12:00pm
Welcome Lunch | Check-in & Networking
1:00pm
Welcome from Illinois & Michigan | Opening Remarks
1:10pm
Goals for MEEN | Conference Objectives | Agenda Overview
Jed Taylor | Executive Director, Technology Entrepreneur Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
1:20pm
Group Introductions | 30 second introduction from each person in attendance
2:00pm
I-Corps Update
Jonathan Fay | Hub Director, NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region
2:30pm
Break | Refreshments
2:45pm
Interactive Discussion | Recruitment
Facilitator: Carla Pavone | Associate Director, Gary S. Holmes Center for Entrepreneurship, University of Minnesota -Twin Cities
Please come prepared to discuss the following questions.
- Initiative Examples: What are some initiatives that you have used to diversify participants in your programs? What metrics do you utilize to track progress and measure success?
- Maintain Engagement: How do you foster engagement and maintain connections with students you have already recruited to participate in your programs? How does mentorship factor into engagement?
- Challenges and Solutions: What are your challenges with recruiting undergraduate, graduate students, and/or faculty to your entrepreneurship programs? What are some ways you have tried to solve those challenges?
- University Recruitment and Entrepreneurship: Does entrepreneurship play a part in your university’s recruitment/orientation efforts? If so, what does that look like? If not, do you have ideas on ways entrepreneurship can be aligned?
4:30pm
Wrap Up | End of Day 1
6:00-7:30pm
Optional Networking Dinner | Walking distance | Guests each pay for their own dinner
Park Tavern & Five Roses Pub
Day 2 | Friday, July 29
8:30am
Welcome | Breakfast
9:00am
Broadening Participation in Innovation Ecosystems
Jesus Soriano | Program Director, Partnerships for Innovation (PFI), National Science Foundation
10:00am
Interactive Discussion | Entrepreneurship Culture
Facilitator: Ilya Avdeev | Director of Innovation and Kellner Entrepreneurship Fellow, Lubar Entrepreneurship Center, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
Please come prepared to discuss the following questions.
- How do you define entrepreneurship culture? What does entrepreneurship culture look like on your campus?
- How are you creating an entrepreneurship culture on your campus and what issues are you facing?
- How do you measure success? What is your goal?
- How do you create a culture that reaches and is recognized outside of your university?
10:45am
Closing Remarks | Next Steps for MEEN
Jonathan Fay | Hub Director, NSF I-Corps Hub: Great Lakes Region
Jed Taylor | Executive Director, Technology Entrepreneur Center, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
11:00am
Optional Grab-n-Go Lunch
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Past participants include: Iowa State University, Penn State, Wayne State, Illinois Institute of Technology, Michigan Technological University, Northwestern University, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Akron, University of Iowa, University of Michigan, University of Minnesota, University of Toledo, and others.
Past hosts include: Iowa State University (2019), University of Nebraska (2018), University of Iowa (2017), University of Minnesota (2016), University of Chicago (2016), Purdue University (2015), Northwestern University (2014), University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (2013), and University of Michigan (2012).
