The key differentiator for a place like RIT is a focus on student creativity and innovation: students today need to be prepared for multiple careers, start-ups, failures, and experiences. They are likely to face technology disruption in their own careers, and they are likely to be on the forefront of disrupting other industries. RIT is committed to focusing not only on top quality academic programs, but also on the fabric and experiences that will help prepare students for global challenges and unique opportunities.
As a part of these efforts, we are delighted to announce the 4th annual RIT ‘Co-Up’ Program, which is designed to help fund students to ‘co-op’ over the summer in multidisciplinary teams on projects and experiences that lead to ‘start-up’ products and commercial activities in digital media.
THE FINE PRINT:
- You must be a student at RIT to participate and receive funding. Teams may include students from other regional area colleges and/or recent alumni, but they are not eligible for funding directly
- Your submission must be DIGITAL in nature (i.e. game, app, service, experience, etc.) Board and card games are not eligible for submission
- You must obtain the consent of your home academic department for this experience to count as co-op credit (note: you don’t have to earn co-op credit to participate, it is an option and yours to pursue if interested/applicable). You must meet with your academic advisor about how this fits your plan of study
- You must submit deliverables at the end of the fall semester for review, and work with your mentoring team throughout the fall semester (details specific to your project and plan established upon admission)
- Preference will be given to concepts and teams that cross disciplinary boundaries and organizations
- You and your team will use MAGIC Spell Studios as “home base”. Projects work when co-located in shared, communal facilities with other teams and immediate access to resources
WHAT DO I NEED TO APPLY?
A submission will consist of 5 components:
(1) Prototype of digital media you are creating
(2) One-page PDFs of the following:
- Development timeline and marketing plan that addresses: distribution, product and promotion
- Goal statement that includes: your goals for the project, your team and how you will define and evaluate your “success”
- List of deliverables that will be produced by the end of the semester
- Statement of how your team will utilize the funding and mentorship support
*It is expected that most projects funded through this initiative have already received considerable development, either through a class, a prior program, or individual effort.
KEY DATES:
Submissions are due on Monday, May 21 at Noon. Submissions should be sent via e-mail to jenn@magic.rit.edu You will receive a confirmation emailing to confirm that your submission has been received
- Selected teams/projects will be notified by Friday, June 1
- Co-Up program begins: Monday, August 27
- Co-Up program ends: Wednesday, December 12
Interested, but have questions or need more information? Contact Jennifer Hinton at MAGIC: jenn@magic.rit.edu
The RIT CO-UP program is made possible through the generous financial support from individual members of the RIT Board of Trustees and is supported programmatically by the RIT MAGIC Center.