Innovation of the Month - July 2019

Every month, we highlight an outstanding example of UNH intellectual property with excellent commercial potential. Contact unh.innovation@unh.edu for more information about any of UNH's innovations.

i2 Passport Program

The innovative and nationally recognized i2 Passport Program was developed at UNH's Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center (ECenter). The program rewards students for engaging in ideas and entrepreneurship activities on campus with the chance to win $35,000 in cash prizes to help pay off student loans and tuition, with an additional focus on FirstGen students (first in family to attend college). The goal is to encourage students to start to explore and understand ideas, innovation, and entrepreneurship and how they might incorporate aspects into their personal, academic, and professional lives. This involvement is then rewarded in Passport Visa Stamps Credits and the chance to win large cash prizes. UNH's i2 Passport Program is generously supported by Harry Patten ’58 and the Patten Family Foundation.

Visit the i2 Passport Program Site

About i2 Passport:

Before launching i2 Passport, the ECenter found that many students had little-to-no exposure to innovation and entrepreneurship prior to starting at UNH. There are so many competing university activities, clubs, and sports, and the ECenter needed a way to engage these new students and ignite their interest in problem solving, innovation, and entrepreneurship. By creating i2 Passport, the ECenter is helping students engage in innovation and entrepreneurship and expand their knowledge in customer discovery and idea development. These are valuable skills that students can then take with them as they pursue their professional careers. 

One of the issues that prevents students from participating in entrepreneurial activities is the rising cost of education and the heavy burden of student debt. i2 Passport seeks to address this problem by rewarding students' participation in events and programs with cash prizes that can be used to pay for tuition and student loans. There are also several ways that students can win at the end of each semester, making the program more appealing to participants of all engagement levels and abilities. Separate drawings are created for specific groups of students that ECenter wants to engage, such as FirstGen students (first in their family to attend college) and underrepresented groups on campus.

To reduce the burden of work on the ECenter and encourage good relationships with partner organizations, the i2 Passport Program combines ECenter-run events and programs with entrepreneurial events already happening at the university. This helps to quickly fill the calendar and drives attendance to all related events and programs.

Technology:

The ECenter has developed its own i2 Passport Program software and mobile app that students can download to receive and view information they might need to complete the program.

App features:

1. Students can view a calendar of upcoming events along with event information, such as category, and how many Visa Stamp Credit will be earned for participation.
2. Students can keep track of events they've already completed and events that they still need to complete.
3. Students can view their total Visa Stamp Credits earned and check their rank among all participants.

License the i2 Passport Program:

After developing and perfecting the i2 Passport Program, UNH is now offering to license the program to other colleges. This will include technology (software/apps), marketing documents, legal considerations, communication and engagement strategies, and planning tools to implement the program.

If you are interested in licensing this product, please contact Ian Grant at the UNH Peter T. Paul Entrepreneurship Center.