Innovation Hub @ FIU Business

What Is the Innovation Hub?
Expanding a years-long partnership, global accounting firm KPMG has given FIU Business a generous financial donation to co-create the Innovation Hub, a state-of-the-art interdisciplinary think tank. The Innovation Hub is designed to create closer ties between students, faculty, academia, and industry leaders. An affiliate-based venture, the Hub will be accessible to various industry sectors and companies.

FIU Business faculty will work with industry partners and experts to expand the current curriculum through a student-focused Innovation Hub program, incorporating important skills that companies seek from new hires. Innovation Hub program participants will come away with tools that are becoming increasingly necessary in a competitive, rapidly evolving job market. Professionals from industry partners and other industry experts will serve as mentors and will be active in workshops, boot camps, case competitions, and other student-focused events. The goal is for students to develop relationships that may evolve into internships, co-ops, and project-based work.

All students admitted to the Innovation Hub will receive a scholarship of $650 during the Fall and Spring semesters ($1,300 total per year), which will continue throughout the program, conditional on good standing (remain a College of Business student, cumulative GPA of 3.3 or above, attend Innovation Hub activities as required). Twelve students will be admitted to the first cohort of the Innovation Hub program.

What Will I Do at the Innovation Hub?
Students admitted to the Innovation Hub will enter the Innovator Program, a 4-year skill development track that will develop innovation, leadership and strategic thinking skills to prepare graduates to lead innovations in any industry.

• Year 1 – Incubator: Students are accepted into the Innovator Program and attend a customized Freshman Experience as a cohort. Students are assigned peer mentors (students further ahead in their programs). Students develop business plans that describe what they plan to learn, experience, and accomplish during their years at the College and post-graduation.

• Year 2 – Start-Up Phase: Students attend Innovation Core training (workshops, bootcamps, meetups, etc.) focused on developing skills on entrepreneurship, new technologies, tech-based business models, data analytics and strategic thinking. Students are assigned faculty mentors who help them build out innovation skillsets. Students learn about available internship or student-faculty project opportunities.

• Year 3 – Accelerator Phase: Students participate in a co-op or internship to amplify their learning. Students are assigned industry mentors to prepare them for a specialization in healthcare, hospitality, technology, or any other industries represented by Innovation Hub corporate members. Students learn about upcoming projects and prepare proposals for those of interest. Students reevaluate and update their business plans.

• Year 4 – CEO Phase: Students specialize in healthcare, hospitality, technology, or another industry through project-based work for a Hub Member or via the ATOM Think Tank. Students work on projects individually or on student-faculty teams. Projects could also take the form of competitions or hackathons, with teams that include industry, faculty, and student members. Students are assigned executive mentors to help them grow and expand a CEO mindset, bringing together core innovation and strategic skills. Students write a project thesis describing how entrepreneurial, techpreneurial, data-driven, strategic, and design thinking helped solve a problem or maximize impact. Innovators update their business plans and submit with the thesis.

Who Can Apply?

1. Admitted to FIU as a First-Time-in-College student (60 credits or less); at this time, the Innovation Hub program is not open to transfer students.
2. GPA 3.75+ undergrad (3.9+ Highschool GPA)
3. Open to all Business majors (e.g., Accounting, Business Analytics, Finance, etc.); the program is open to dual-majors or major-minor students.
4. Must be directly placed into Calculus for Business or equivalent.
5. Must remain a College of Business student throughout the duration of the Innovation Hub program and in good academic standing; changing majors outside the College of Business will also lead to dropping out of the Innovation Hub program.
6. Be a citizen of the United States, a U.S. lawful permanent resident or an international student on an aid eligible visa.

What is the Application Process?
Admission to the Innovation Hub program is concurrent with the granting of the Innovation Hub scholarship. Interested students should submit, with their scholarship application, an Application Cover Letter addressed to the Faculty Director of the Innovation Hub (Dr. Miguel I. Aguirre-Urreta). The letter should contain a brief discussion of career goals and biographical (background) information, as well as a short essay that describes why you selected your major field of study (or one of them for dual-major students). Limit to 500 words (for the essay portion).

Questions?
Email Dr. Miguel I. Aguirre-Urreta, Faculty Director – Innovation Hub, at miaguirr@fiu.edu