About Us — Program
The VDC's partners both come from the university and are drawn to it. What they have in common is that they see an opportunity to collaboratively create something valuable - a new center, alliance or venture - and they want to take steps to make it happen. The VDC delivers the specialized workspace, tools, and support they need to succeed.
Our 18,000-square-foot facility makes it easy to exchange ideas, information, and work. Teams move from insight to discussion to sketching, modeling, computing, and experimenting and then to feedback and informal debriefing, all in one place, even if team members are scattered around the world. The facility features two small group collaboration spaces, one large group collaboration/presentation space, temporary offices and labs (two dry, two with fume hoods, and two without) and informal meeting and lounge areas.
The VDC's business development tools enable our partners to systematically explore ideas, identify risks and develop actionable plans. The VDC then mobilizes internal and external investment.
While we help our partners to think big, take risks and have impact, we recognize that it is the little things that make for out and out success. We assist our partners with managing meetings, proposals, budgets, and agreements. We also troubleshoot problems if they arise.
How do you become a partner? We actively seek out partners that can benefit from our program. Submit a short written proposal to Christine DePalma that explains objectives, benefits, needs and plans to graduate into other space on or off campus. Fees will apply to use of the temporary offices and labs, audio-video conferencing and other special services.