Iowa Medical Innovation Group
The Iowa Medical Innovation Group (IMIG) is a two-semester interdisciplinary program introducing students to all phases of medical device/technology development. Students from the colleges of Business, Engineering, Law, and Medicine will collaborate in a real-world environment to identify a medical need, create a solution, and move it through the development and commercialization process. Through this program students will: 1) develop knowledge of the entire medical innovation process and 2) research and develop novel medical devices, therapy, or model of care that could lead to the creation of a new company or a licensing agreement with an existing company.
Program Activities
Request for Problems: Each spring, a Request for Problems is distributed throughout the UI medical community to seek out possible projects for IMIG. During the summer, IMIG students conduct a needs assessment on the top problems submitted to determine market potential, current competition, and overall potential. In August, UI faculty work with the University of Iowa Research Foundation to develop a finalized list for the students to choose from.
Meetings: Weekly meetings are held on Wednesday nights from September through April. The basic schedule is as follows: Week 1: All IMIG meeting to discuss projects/issues; Week 2: All IMIG meeting with guest speakers and networking time (this meeting is open to the external community) ; and Weeks 3 and 4: IMIG student team meetings to work on the projects
Mentoring: Monthly mentoring will be provided to teams by UIHC physicians, industry experts, and UI faculty.
Capstone Presentations: A presentation summarizing the team's new device and business/commercialization plan will be given during Engineering Senior Design Week and to the faculty and industry mentors.
Competitions: JPEC sponsors several elevator pitch and business plan competitions throughout the year. Additionally, JPEC will submit top concepts to national business plan competitions. IMIG teams will have the opportunity to compete and win funding to support their commercialization projects.
Program Requirements
- Complete assigned initial needs assignment over the summer
- Attend all scheduled lectures, weekly team meetings, and monthly mentoring meetings
- Complete the device design, initial commercialization plan, and capstone presentations
Current Members
How to Apply
Students are admitted into IMIG each spring for the upcoming academic year.
Contact Us
Business students: David Hensley (335-1022)
Engineering students: Joe Reinhardt (335-5634) or Sarah Vigmostad (384-2008)
Law students: Herb Hovenkamp (335-9079)
Medical students: Hugh Hansen (335-7651)