UTDesign Capstone Helps Companies Expand Their Resources by Partnering with Talented Computer Science and Engineering Students
A Company’s Role in UTDesign
Through UTDesign Capstone, companies have the ability to extend their resources and partner with teams of talented seniors from the Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science. Through corporate sponsors, these students are given the opportunity to solve real world problems in new and innovative ways.
Corporate Sponsors play one of the largest roles in UTDesign Capstone. The UTDesign Capstone team is coached by two advisors: a UT Dallas advisor, who is an expert or has some degree of technical familiarity with the project; and a corporate mentor, who acts as the technical point of contact for the company. The corporate partner provides the problem to be solved; UTDesign Capstone provides a team trained in:
- Problem solving and critical thinking.
- Project management, including planning, budgeting, communications, scheduling and presentations.
- Technical proficiency.
- Adaptability, reliability and flexibility.
At the end of the project, which serves as the capstone of students’ undergraduate education, all results are turned over to the corporate partner.
Benefits
Progress on lower-priority projects without expending staff resources
Full ownership of results
Potential for high return on a small investment
Relationships with faculty members who are subject matter experts
Opportunity to recruit top graduates from a diverse pool of students
Brand promotion among students, other sponsors, and the community
Deliverables
Depending on the characteristics and field of the project, companies may expect some or all of the following deliverables:
- Technical reports
- Drawings and design specifications
- Prototypes, computer programs, simulation models
- Final report and presentation
- Test and evaluations results
What can our students do for you?
IP & NDA
UTDesign Capstone projects may result in ideas, inventions, creations, developments or improvements that are important to corporate sponsors. Partners typically secure rights to UTDesign intellectual property by having student participants sign intellectual property (IP) agreements and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs).
For the Student
Intellectual Property Agreement (IP) – Corporate partners are encouraged to enter into mutually acceptable agreements with the UTDesign students and their teams. This allows them to secure rights to the IP developed during the course of the project. These agreements are to be made between the company and the students.
Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) – All students engaged in corporate projects must be aware of and committed to an NDA. Usually, the NDA is incorporated into the IP agreement.
You retain 100% of the IP for the work and results
Cost
Computer Science and Software Engineering projects (one semester):
$5,000 (annual revenue less than $200 million)
$7,000 (annual revenue greater than $200 million)
Engineering projects (two semesters):
$13,000
Funding from corporate partners supports UTDesign Capstone projects by providing materials, licensing, studio facilities, staff and UT Dallas Advisor. The cost above covers up to $3,000 for materials and fabrication expenses for engineering projects, and $500 for computer science. The UT Dallas Advisor and corporate mentor will discuss options for reimbursing costs that exceed these expenses.
Gifts to Support the Studio
In addition to hosting senior teams, several companies elect to support the entire studio in ways that include:
- In-kind donations: equipment, parts and services.
- Naming opportunities: a few opportunities still exist for donors to name labs, conference rooms or classrooms.
- Competitions: typically using technology from the gifting company.
- Events: tech talks, seminars, social networking, tech meet-ups, etc.
Roles
The involvement of the company is crucial for the success of the project and the learning process for the student. To help the team succeed, the corporate mentor must:
- Mentor the team so students can get a corporate experience
- Help the students with new technology used in the company
- Guide the team to meet benchmarks
- Foster teamwork
- Encourage high-quality communication and professionalism
Previous corporate mentors recommend the following as best practices:
- Weekly meetings are required
- Weekly reports are very beneficial
- Give feedback on reports
- Designate one person to be the point of contact, usually the team leader
- Hold the team accountable for its schedule
- Propose a project doable in 30 weeks (15 for Computer Science)
- Make sure the team understands the objective
The Corporate Mentor Guidelines for Computer Science Projects and Engineering Projects detail these roles and outline a typical semester schedule.
Ready to sponsor a project?
FAQ
How much does it cost?
For one-semester computer science projects, it costs $5,000 for a company with less than $200 million in annual revenue and $7,000 for a company with greater than $200 million in annual revenue.
$13,000 for a two-semester engineering project.
How does this compare to hiring an intern?
Typically a UTDesign Capstone team has 4 to 6 students each working on average 10 to 12 hours per week, which is essentially one FTE. An engineering and computer science intern typically earns over $17 per hour. For an intern that works one semester (15 weeks), you would expect to pay $10,200. For an intern that works two semesters (30 weeks), you would expect to pay $20,400.
