Innovation
MIT people want to know how things work — and are inspired to make them work better. Our “mind and hand” philosophy spurs real-world engagement, and thanks to MIT’s entrepreneurial culture, Greater Boston’s innovation ecosystem brims with companies spun out from MIT.
MIT’s student and faculty innovators and entrepreneurs can tap a remarkable suite of resources — from mentors and funding to student organizations and events — as they learn to drive their ideas to market. From faculty start-ups to global corporations, businesses and nonprofits of every size can find satisfying ways to work with MIT. A range of professional groups stand ready to help, from the Office of Innovation and Martin Trust Center for MIT Entrepreneurship to the distinctive Industrial Liaison Program.
Ecosystem
MIT’s innovation ecosystem comprises students, faculty, postdocs, and alumni taking part in tailored classes, mentorship, guidance, and activities offered by over 80 innovation and entrepreneurship (I&E) organizations across campus. Located in the heart of “the most innovative square mile on the planet,” MIT InnovationHQ provides a home for MIT’s thriving community of innovators and entrepreneurs, supporting all who pursue ideas with a passion for world-changing impact. From this hub of I&E activity, the ecosystem reaches outward into our regional innovation ecosystem, in part through an ambitious, decade-long redevelopment initiative.
Impact
Innovations from MIT often address the problems humanity most needs to solve, including sustainable energy, urban resiliency, fresh water, food for all, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and infectious disease. By helping MIT inventors connect with mentors, collaborators, networks, and funding, we help them translate new science into transformative innovation. MIT entrepreneurs make a sizable global impact: The active companies formed by living MIT alumni produce estimated annual revenues on par with the gross domestic product of the 10th-largest economy in the world.
