*NOTICE*

Our October 5th Workshop--Customer Discovery and the Validation of your Business Model with Bob Storey--has moved to Sondheim room 103, from 12-1pm!

We apologize for any inconvenience and we can't wait to see you there! 

Description

Customer Discovery and the validation of the hypotheses that underpin your Business Model are crucial steps before a formal business plan is developed or extensive development is undertaken. In this workshop you will learn about the Lean Start-up methodology that is being applied to venture creation and will focus on the philosophies and techniques that you will use as you identify your initial target customer segment and corresponding set of value propositions. It will help you understand how to develop the "Metrics That Matter" across the full business model, and the role that a minimum viable product (MVP) plays in helping to find a true product market fit. A must-have technique to eliminate confirmation bias and to discover true customer needs.

About Bob

Robert Storey is the Principal of The MVR Company and the Managing Director of the Maryland branch of VIC Technology Venture Development, a private, for-profit development firm with offices in Annapolis, Boston, Fayetteville, and San Diego. At VIC, he assists in the assessment and creation of new ventures, with a particular focus on medical technologies.

He is currently a National Instructor for both the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps™ and for the National Institute of Health’s I-Corps @ NIH™ program.  In addition to his role at the US national level, he has been the principal instructor for international cohorts in the I-Corps & Lean Start-up arena in South America and Asia Pacific, as well as lead instructor for the US State Department’s Global Initiative for Innovation in Technology programs in Southern and Western Africa.

He is active on a national basis on the subject of assessment and formation of start-up technologies, and sits on the Boards of six start-up and mature firms.

The Peale Center, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation dedicated to re-opening Baltimore's Peale Museum as a history and architecture center and as a public venue for exhibitions and events, seeks a director to spearhead fundraising and strategy.

The Baltimore Museum of Art (BMA) seeks three enthusiastic and experienced Shop Sales Associates to assist with the Museum’s upcoming special exhibition, Matisse Diebenkorn (October 23, 2016-January 9, 2017). The ideal candidate will aid in maximizing revenues while acting as an ambassador for the institution using their excellent communication and customer service skills, and product management.

The CAHSS Dean’s Research Fund (CDRF) provides a biannual (proposals due Oct 1 and Apr 1) competitive funding opportunity for up to $5,000 to support the research endeavors of CAHSS tenured and tenure-track faculty and lecturers. Funds will support developing or established scholarly and creative projects. Faculty on visiting or short-term appointments are not eligible to apply. Awarded funds will be available through the end of the fiscal year following the award year. After completion of the grant term, awardees must provide evidence of work produced and a short report describing how funds were spent and how any equipment purchased has been designated for continued College use.

Items that are eligible for CDRF funding include: travel, equipment, supplies, books, research participant costs, undergraduate or graduate student support, and other items necessary for research endeavors. No faculty salary support or course releases may be funded through this initiative. Funds supporting this initiative are provided by the Office of the Dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.

Applications will be reviewed by the CAHSS Research Advisory Committee, which will make recommendations to the Dean. Proposals will be judged on: the quality of the proposed project, feasibility of the work, and how the project will benefit from CDRF assistance.

Limit one application per faculty member per funding cycle. Limit one award per faculty per two years.

Link for application materials: http://cahss.umbc.edu/cahss-deans-research-fund/ 

Information from CAHSS Dean's Office

The forces that contributed to the founding of UMBC — from emerging need triggered by the post-World War II baby boom to a higher education ideal conceptualized by Chancellor Albin O. Kuhn — converged on September 19, 1966 with the commencement of the first classes at the new university.