Diploma in Innovation Information Sheet

The Diploma in Innovation is a highly selective program for current Ph.D. students designed to complement their disciplinary scholarship with the practical skills and creative perspectives that will help them become leaders at the vanguard of their chosen fields. At USC, we embrace the principle that innovators can come from all backgrounds, and that their ventures from new products, services, and companies to scholarship and creative works bring fresh approaches and creative thinking to bear on global community needs. The one-year Diploma in Innovation program is designed to enable current USC Ph.D. students to engage in innovative scholarship with another USC student or any other individual or organization capable of providing the student researcher(s) with support. Each team, which must consist of at least one USC Ph.D. student, will submit a proposal that identifies all collaborators and illustrates how the proposed project could lead to innovative scholarship or to novel solutions, processes, policies or devices with the potential to address pressing societal needs. Proposals must lay out the steps by which the project will reach completion in one years time under the supervision of a USC faculty mentor, who must be identified in the project proposal. $5,000 will be provided to assist the scholar with their project. A committee of faculty, appointed by the Provost, will judge each proposal to determine which teams will be selected to receive a $5,000 innovation grant and pursue the Diploma in Innovation. Ideal projects will be feasible within a year, will be directed towards addressing a current academic or societal need in innovative, collaborative ways, and will demonstrate the potential for long-term impact. Up to 15 projects will be funded each year, with funds being disbursed to the USC Ph.D. student(s) involved in the project. All USC Ph.D. students admitted to the Diploma in Innovation program will be required to register in GRSC 791a and b: Directed Study leading to the Diploma in Innovation. Registration in these courses is free for USC Ph.D. students. The faculty mentor will monitor the teams progress and help the team set realistic and achievable goals. At the end of GRSC 791b the team will present their work to a faculty committee, which will determine if the project qualifies the USC Ph.D. student(s) to receive the USC Diploma in Innovation. Receipt of the Diploma in Innovation is separate from receipt of an innovation grant and is awarded to those who have made satisfactory progress on their project. Throughout the program team members will also participate in a series of seminars focused on various topics related to innovation such as: creative thinking, the process of innovation, methods of collaboration, social entrepreneurship, developing a business plan, intellectual property law and other issues that will be of use to teams as they pursue their projects. Applications for the Diploma in Innovation are due on March 30, 2012. For more information and for application forms please visit: idiploma.usc.edu.