The E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award is a $1,000 prize given to the presenters of the top three elevator pitches at the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition. The award is named after Edward Craig Nemec, who began his entrepreneurial pursuits while completing his business degree at UT. Over the next 25 years, he grew it into the commercial real estate firm Pearson Group Capital Management, owners and operators of office and industrial properties.

Here at The Dallas Morning News Innovation Endowment, we are working toward innovating journalism with our students. This means creating podcasts, building bots and planning community events. These projects give students the work experience they both want and need to develop stellar careers.

The M.A. in Design focused on Health program brings together expert designers and health design specialists to teach courageous health care leaders and professionals the latest design methods underpinning revolutionary solutions for health’s most wicked problems. The program teaches learners how to become a force of innovation by using person-centered design methodologies. Students learn to prototype, test, and iterate solutions, based on measuring impact and results that matter.

The Entrepreneurship Minor teaches students how to become innovative leaders and make meaningful impact in their communities. Our curriculum requires students to learn fundamental skills in ideation creation, business plans, marketing, pitching, and product development. In summary, students learn how to plan and launch new projects, products and startups.

The mentor program instills a mentorship component that integrates professionals with current undergraduate students at UT Austin who are eager to learn more about professional development, entrepreneurial empathy, business planning, networking, and managing uncertainty. This mentor program is designed to enable student participants to proactively connect with both local and extended professionals, and discover feedback and insight into the startup community from seasoned professionals across the country.

The Texas Performing Arts Fabrication Studios are a fully staffed production facility and learning laboratory. We construct scenic elements, painted backdrops, theatrical properties, displays, and installations for funded projects. We co-design projects with UT faculty, staff, and student organizations and fabricate with our professional staff and paid student interns.

Faculty-led education abroad programs provide faculty with the opportunity to connect course content through experiential learning objectives. These programs contribute to UT’s internationalization of the curriculum and Texas Global’s goal of providing affordable international experiences to our students. Students earn credit towards their degree program and have the opportunity to build strong connections with UT faculty. Programs focused on entrepreneurship and innovation are invited to apply.

The KS WEL Institute empowers and spotlights female-owned startups monthly through their application-based Featured Female Founders program. The Featured Female Founders program provides resources and exposure to the Austin startup community for these founders. Come stop by the KS WEL Institute or apply online if you're interested in becoming a Featured Female Founder!

When a UT researcher has a personal financial interest or association with a company that aims to further develop and commercialize their UT-owned technology, there can be a perceived or actual conflict of interest. The Office of Research Support and Compliance helps researchers address personal, financial conflict(s) of interest related to their research activities, through the implementation of financial conflict of interest management strategies.

The Foundry provides access to makerspace equipment such as 3d printers, a laser cutter, mills, a VR headset, and a recording studio. The Foundry is designed to train and service entry-level makers. Students can join the Canvas course to learn more about how to get certified on the equipment. The Foundry cannot support large events or classes as equipment is limited.