In early 2014, student Edward Finocchiaro noticed that there were not many avenues of competition for students at Dickinson outside of traditional ones. He brought this concern to the attention of Professor Fratantuono, and thus The Innovation Competition at Dickinson was born.

The IC@D offers a competitive platform for entrepreneurial students to pursue an idea that they are passionate about. Working in interdisciplinary teams, and in collaboration with alumni mentors, students will develop their idea over three rounds of competition, increasing the level of detail for each.

In the interest of keeping consistent with the three pillars of a Dickinson education, teams must be interdisciplinary, ideas sustainable in nature, and they may be local or global scope.

Teams will have access to the ample resources the College has to offer; student groups like the Idea Fund and the Student Investment Group, as well as the opportunity to receive mentorship and feedback from alumni.