CEAT launches Innovation Award to turn student ideas into startups
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
Media Contact: Tanner Holubar | Communications Specialist | 405-744-2065 | tanner.holubar@okstate.edu
The next great startup might not originate in Silicon Valley, but at the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology at Oklahoma State University.
CEAT is elevating innovative thinking, problem-solving prowess, collaboration, recruitment and competitive spirit into its strategic footprint.
Students will soon have the capability to turn ideas fostered in classrooms into commercial success through the inaugural Dean's Innovation Award for Promising Business Startups.
Beginning in fall 2026, the award will recognize some of CEAT's most promising student entrepreneurs with $20,000 to $30,000 in milestone-based funding. This will allow students to transform engineering concepts into viable businesses, all while sharpening their entrepreneurial skills to help them succeed beyond graduation. Applications for this fall's award open on July 31 and close at 5 p.m. Aug. 10.
Anyone interested in applying for this award can do so by clicking this link.
This award reflects CEAT's emphasis on equipping engineers with the skillsets and proficiency to solve a variety of real-world problems once they enter the workforce.
"Through innovation, CEAT serves the land-grant mission of OSU by driving economic growth and job creation in Oklahoma," said Dr. Hanchen Huang, dean of CEAT.
The Zink Center for Competitive Innovation will be a cornerstone of this award, providing resources that strengthen interdisciplinary design, engineering practice, leadership development and teamwork while bridging the gap between technical innovation and entrepreneurship.
"The new Dean’s Innovation Award for Promising Business Startups will enhance CEAT programs and initiatives, leading to a high demand for our graduates — graduates who have the kinds of ideation-to-market experiences that create new businesses, support existing businesses, benefit society and can be monetized," said Michael Carolina, director of the Zink Center for Competitive Innovation.
Carolina said the competition will encourage students to begin every project with commercialization in mind. Rather than focus strictly on developing the technology, students will also learn the business principles necessary to launch a successful company, including customer discovery, marketing, sales, intellectual property, supply chain management, investment strategies and effective pitch presentations.
To reinforce that aspect, accepted applicants will complete a business plan workshop through OSU's Riata Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship before advancing through the competition.
Submitted projects may be accepted as senior design projects, allowing seniors to develop their ideas through the capstone design experience. They will also be accepted as Zink Innovation Hub projects, where students can access the ENDEAVOR Lab for technical support for designing, fabricating and testing prototypes.
Laura Southard, coordinator of interdisciplinary design programs for CEAT, said students will identify the problems they intend to solve, define their target audience, understand competing products, outline future revenue streams and customer discovery efforts, establish engineering specifications and testing plans as well as develop both a semester-long timeline and project budget.
Finalists will present their ventures before a panel of judges from Nov. 16-20, with the winning team announced during the CEAT Senior Design Expo awards on Nov. 20. Funding will be distributed to the winning team's LLC in installments based on completing milestones. This mirrors real-world practice for how startups receive funding. Teams may also use a portion of the funds to continue research and development for their venture.
Carolina expects this award will motivate students to think more critically about launching and growing businesses while strengthening relationships with industry, sponsors and donors who want to invest in student innovation and entrepreneurship.
Dr. John Veenstra, associate dean of faculty affairs for CEAT, said students will gain skills that will benefit them regardless of whether they launch their own companies or join existing ones.
"In today's innovation economy, students who have an innovation and entrepreneurial mindset and know how to bridge technology and business will be better prepared to compete and succeed in the marketplace of ideas and bring ideas to life," Veenstra said.
Veenstra said it is important that engineers build the right "toolkit," combining academic knowledge, technical skills, business principles, interpersonal skills and teamwork.
This award will build and inspire a culture of innovation, instill a heightened spirit of competition , and empower students as they embark on their engineering careers.
"This award is intended to motivate a higher level of critical thinking about starting, scaling and growing a new business," Carolina said. "It promotes business modeling around engineering discoveries, customer discovery and the progression/connection of steps in the commercialization process and value proposition chain. We fully anticipate that this new award will stimulate interest and support from our stakeholders (industry, sponsors, donors, communities) as a tool to generate more investment in our students that can transform our innovation ecosystem."
The intent is that the award will be given out each semester at the conclusion of senior design demonstrations or the EXPO. The spring 2027 semester application deadline will be Dec. 18, 2026, with the winner announced in April.
The Innovation Award is about more than successfully securing startup funding. It's the chance to take ownership of an idea and finalize it from concept to completion, giving CEAT students a well-rounded experience that will serve them well beyond graduation.