NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT — The University of New Haven launched a program called Connecticut Invents in partnership with the nonprofits FORGE and NextMinds. The program is designed to help young inventors develop ideas into viable products and businesses while earning an undergraduate degree.

Selected student inventors will receive a tuition-free undergraduate education at the university. The university will oversee intellectual property protection, legal support, and business development efforts related to the students' inventions. Applications for the Connecticut Invents scholarship will open in the fall for the following academic year.

Paul Lavoie, vice president of innovation and applied technology at the university, said the program addresses a lack of a commercialization path for inventions. He stated it enables young inventors to commercialize their ideas while providing a four-year education and an equity position in their products and companies. Connecticut Invents will combine entrepreneurship support with a college education.

NextMinds, a New England incubator, will identify promising inventors through its Invention Convention program, which annually reaches more than 10,000 K-12 students. The program will initially reach out to past Invention Convention participants whose inventions may be ready for commercialization. FORGE will provide guidance on product development and manufacturing.

An independent board comprising representatives from FORGE, NextMinds, the university, and industry partners will evaluate inventions and their market potential to select students for the program. Lavoie said this evaluation process will consider factors similar to those used by venture capital or private equity firms when investing in a patent or company. The university will track program outcomes, including the number and type of companies launched, revenue generated, and the post-graduation success of student entrepreneurs.