About

The Duke University community is transforming the world through innovation and entrepreneurship. Duke provides interdisciplinary, experiential education and opportunities to innovators, supporting them in solving the world’s most pressing challenges.

2021 Annual Report

Innovation Is for Everyone

We believe all Duke students benefit from learning about innovation and entrepreneurship—from those who wish to found a company, to those who want to change the world with innovation, to those who simply want to cultivate a more creative and entrepreneurial mindset.

We partner with schools and departments across Duke to offer interdisciplinary, experience-based education; our students learn by doing. Whether students are working on their own idea with a mentor through programs like Melissa & Doug Entrepreneurs or StudioDuke, or advancing an exciting faculty innovation through a course, students learn via experiences that are in service of ambitious, worthy goals and offer opportunities for meaningful collaboration.

Located in the vibrant and rapidly growing Triangle region, Duke is part of a rich entrepreneurial ecosystem. At I&E we actively partner with nearby universities and organizations to create opportunities for Duke innovators and to help advance entrepreneurship in the area.

Approach

At Duke we believe our community can change the world through entrepreneurial action, the ability to realize innovation and effect change. Entrepreneurial action is for everyone: students, faculty, staff, and alumni across all disciplines and industries.

Design & Entrepreneurial Action

Programming and resources across Duke help innovators and entrepreneurs design solutions with understanding, creativity, evaluation, and communication to develop a deep understanding of users

Ethics & Entrepreneurial Action

Teaching character, values, principles, goals, and consequences to help tomorrow's leaders become skilled and thoughtful agents of change

Social Impact

As a leader in the fields of social innovation and social entrepreneurship, Duke connects future change-makers across schools and disciplines to the resources, mentorship, and community they need to tackle the world’s most pressing problems.

Students

Whether you want to found your own company, realize an invention that will change the world, or simply become more innovative and creative, Duke has education, resources, and community that will support you at every step of the journey.

Prospective Students

When it comes to innovation and entrepreneurship, Duke is different—more collaborative, more intentional, and more determined to change the world for the better. Explore how you could benefit from Duke’s premier education and resources and become part of our dynamic community.

Alumni & Friends

We value your diverse talent and experience, we work to provide relevant opportunities and mutually beneficial partnerships, and we connect you with meaningful engagement opportunities.

Faculty & Researchers

Whether you have a new idea, or you’ve been working on a piece of research for decades, we’ll match you with the resources you need to advance your project—student workers, advanced translation strategies, funding, space, and more.

Explore

From accelerators, to centers, to collaborative partnerships, explore the ever-growing number of places where innovation and entrepreneurship are happening at Duke

Resources

Explore funding, scholarships, facilities, incubators, investment opportunities, and more

Events

Check out upcoming innovation- and entrepreneurship-related happenings at Duke and in the community