Building a Workforce for the Innovation Age: Centers of Innovation Support Future Innovators Through K-12 InVenture Prize Competition

The global economy is moving from the Information Age into a new Innovation Age which will demand a workforce trained in not just in the “three Rs”, but with skills in problem-solving to create new ideas, new technology, and new creative content. To address this need, Georgia Tech created the K-12 InVenture Prize to develop the next generation of engineers and entrepreneurs by making invention education accessible to all students and teachers in Georgia. InVenture challenges students to identify real-world problems and design novel solutions through careful analysis, creativity, and the scientific method.

Beginning last September more than 6,000 students throughout Georgia in kindergarten through 12th grade participated in student teams to conceive and design new inventions to solve real-world problems.  During the process, the teams submitted short videos which were reviewed by expert judges to provide feedback to the teams.  On March 13th, 94 of the top teams gathered at Georgia Tech to participate in the K-12 InVenture State Finals with awards, prizes, and invitations to the National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo (NICEE) on the line.

As in previous years, the Georgia Centers of Innovation (COI) served as judges and also sponsored the 1st place prizes for the top K-2, elementary, middle school, and high school projects. Several of the projects have the potential to become real products, so the COI staff gives feedback and recommendations to the students on their inventions.  Last year COI worked with one high school team to connect them with resources to start the patent process for their idea.  This year through a connection by COI, the Georgia Intellectual Property Alliance (GIPA) will provide patent search services to the winning teams.  

Many thanks and congratulations to the team at the Georgia Tech, led by K-12 InVenture Prize Director Dr. Roxanne A. Moore, which put in many long hours throughout the year to make this program a great success.  Georgia teams have done well at the national level, so look out for news on our local teams going on to the K-12 National Invention Convention and Entrepreneurship Expo on May 29-31 at The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn, Michigan.

The students participating in the K-12 InVenture Prize are bright and motivated, supported by dedicated teachers and parents, so the future for Georgia’s innovation workforce looks bright.  Also, the time is coming when we will see products and new companies spinning-off from the K-12 InVenture Prize competition – further helping Georgia’s industries to connect, compete, and grow in the global economy.