Innovation
is for
all.

At Iowa State, we believe the ability to be innovative isn’t reserved for a select few. That’s why we’ve infused opportunities for innovation into everything we offer. From how we design our curriculum to how we construct our facilities, we’re deliberate about making resources for innovation accessible to everyone. Including you.

We call this culture Innovate at Iowa State.

An Open Invitation to Innovation

When you’re looking for opportunities to help you become even more innovative, Iowa State has you covered.

Find your resources below!

By investing in innovation at Iowa State, you invest in the future of Iowa – and the world. Your expertise is pivotal in helping Iowa State innovators continue to develop groundbreaking startups, projects, and more.

Innovation Highlights

Top 3%

in the nation for research expenditures among universities without a human medical school

Iowa State wins 2023 Association of Public and Land Grant Universities top award, Innovation & Economic Prosperity Economic Engagement Connections Award

Iowa State is among the top 100 worldwide universities granted patents

Ranked #12

for our undergraduate entrepreneurship program by The Princeton Review 

Innovation and
Entrepreneurship in the
News

Student Innovation Center

We believe great minds think together. That’s why we built our $84 million Student Innovation Center dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration. With 146,000 square feet of technology-driven makerspaces, dedicated study zones, and more, it’s an innovation playground.

Here, all majors can work together to further their innovation capacity—and help each other turn their ideas into action.

Start something that changes the world

Iowa State’s Start Something Network consists of our innovation- and entrepreneurship-centric academic opportunities, from credit-earning coursework to capstone projects to internships, for all university students regardless of discipline.

Learn More

No One Does Innovation
Like We Do

Innovation in Overdrive​

Iowa State is a hub of innovation. One where a diverse group of makers and doers work together to accelerate ideas for the betterment of individuals everywhere. Read our Innovation in Overdrive President’s Report to see stories of innovation in action.

person welding

Innovators of Iowa State​

By empowering our students, faculty, and partners to realize their full potential, we’re helping them make the difference they were born to make in the world. Watch our video series that showcases Iowa State researchers who are making the future brighter for all.​

scientist working in the lab

Innovation at Work​

It’s one thing to say you’re dedicated to innovation. It’s another to provide innovators hands-on opportunities that help them reach one-of-a-kind, real-world solutions. After all, at Iowa State, we have a storied history of creating innovations unlike any the world has ever seen.​