Ideas from Pitt research reach patients, communities and industries faster when the people behind them know what support exists. Idea to Impact – Coffee & Conversation is a free monthly drop-in session where University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff, postdocs, residents, fellows and students talk through an idea, invention or research result with staff from the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE).

Coffee & Conversation meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Times and locations can change from session to session, so the Pitt events calendar lists the date, time and location of each upcoming session. Registration is requested, and walk-ins are welcome.

Coffee & Conversation is an informational session, not a funding program or an application. It is the place to find out whether the NSF Regional I-Corps program at Pitt, an OIE funding program such as Pitt SPARK or the Commercialization Gap Fund, or an invention disclosure is the right next step.

Questions about Coffee & Conversation? Contact Tyree Williams, Innovation Programming Manager.

Find the next Coffee & Conversation

Times and locations change from session to session.

Open the Pitt events calendar

What happens at a session?

A conversation with OIE staff

At Idea to Impact – Coffee & Conversation, OIE staff listen to your idea and explain which Pitt programs fit where it is today. That might mean customer discovery training through the NSF Regional I-Corps program at Pitt, an invention disclosure to protect the work, or an application to an OIE funding program. No pitch or slides are needed.

Who can attend?

Anyone at Pitt with an idea

Coffee & Conversation is open to University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff, postdocs, residents and fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students. You do not need a finished invention, a patent or prior experience with OIE.

When and where?

Second Tuesday of each month

Idea to Impact – Coffee & Conversation meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Times and locations can change from session to session, so check the Pitt events calendar before you go.

See upcoming sessions (opens Pitt events calendar)

How do I sign up?

Free; register or walk in

Coffee & Conversation is free. Registration helps OIE staff prepare, and walk-ins are always welcome. Questions go to Tyree Williams, Innovation Programming Manager at twilliams@innovation.pitt.edu.

Register for Coffee & Conversation (opens Pitt form)

What happens at a session?

A conversation with OIE staff

At Idea to Impact – Coffee & Conversation, OIE staff listen to your idea and explain which Pitt programs fit where it is today. That might mean customer discovery training through the NSF Regional I-Corps program at Pitt, an invention disclosure to protect the work, or an application to an OIE funding program. No pitch or slides are needed.

Who can attend?

Anyone at Pitt with an idea

Coffee & Conversation is open to University of Pittsburgh faculty, staff, postdocs, residents and fellows, graduate students and undergraduate students. You do not need a finished invention, a patent or prior experience with OIE.

When and where?

Second Tuesday of each month

Idea to Impact – Coffee & Conversation meets on the second Tuesday of each month. Times and locations can change from session to session, so check the Pitt events calendar before you go.

See upcoming sessions (opens Pitt events calendar)

How do I sign up?

Free; register or walk in

Coffee & Conversation is free. Registration helps OIE staff prepare, and walk-ins are always welcome. Questions go to Tyree Williams, Innovation Programming Manager at twilliams@innovation.pitt.edu.

Register for Coffee & Conversation (opens Pitt form)

Frequently Asked Questions:

No. Idea to Impact – Coffee & Conversation is for any Pitt faculty member, staff member, trainee or student with an early idea, a research result that might be useful outside the lab, or a question about how commercialization works at Pitt.

Coffee & Conversation is free. Registration is requested but not required, and walk-ins are welcome at every session.

Coffee & Conversation is an informal setting, so describe your idea at a general level. If you have an invention you have not yet disclosed, ask OIE staff for a one-on-one meeting or submit an invention disclosure before sharing technical details.

Email Tyree Williams, Innovation Programming Manager to set up a time to talk.

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