Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center

The Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center, commonly called ETIC, is an industry-funded research and innovation center affiliated with the New York Institute of Technology in the United States. Rather than being a conventional consumer brand or standalone commercial company, ETIC functions as an institutional platform connecting academic research, technology development, entrepreneurship, applied engineering, and industry collaboration. Its purpose is to help translate research and technical ideas into prototypes, commercialization opportunities, and practical innovation projects. The center was established through a combination of state and federal funding and opened in 2015. Its physical facility covers approximately 8,000 square feet and combines academic work areas with specialized laboratory, fabrication, collaboration, training, and presentation spaces. The facility includes conference and training rooms, a collaborative maker and fabrication area, a smart auditorium with seating for approximately 100 people, and a dedicated data center. These spaces support interdisciplinary work by students, faculty, researchers, and external partners. ETIC operates within the wider technical and academic resources of New York Tech. Its researchers can access laboratories covering cybersecurity, energy and green technologies, renewable-energy telemetry, bioengineering and medical devices, rapid prototyping, nanofabrication, materials science, aerodynamics, instrumentation, thermo-fluid systems, mechanical computer-aided design and manufacturing, geographic information systems, microprocessor-based systems, motion capture, and clean-room work. The breadth of these resources allows projects to move from concept development and modeling to fabrication, testing, measurement, and demonstration. A notable phase in ETIC's development began in 2021, when NASA contracted with the center for work related to NASA-patented technologies. Student employees were tasked with developing and fabricating technology prototypes and producing marketing materials intended to support NASA commercialization efforts. The reported projects included a robotic therapy vest designed for patients with neurological impairments and a device called the C-gauge, intended to measure cord tension in applications such as parachutes, sails, and weather balloons. The NASA engagement illustrates ETIC's role as an intermediary between publicly developed technology, student engineering work, prototype creation, and potential commercialization. ETIC's identity is therefore centered on applied innovation rather than a product portfolio sold directly to consumers. Its principal offerings are facilities, technical capabilities, project collaboration, prototyping support, research expertise, educational opportunities, and commercialization assistance. The center's activities also provide students with practical experience in engineering development, technology marketing, interdisciplinary teamwork, and the transition of inventions toward real-world use. Publicly available information does not establish a separate corporate ownership structure, standalone revenue, executive roster, or independent commercial website for ETIC.

The Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center was created at the New York Institute of Technology as an industry-funded facility intended to promote research development, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Its creation was supported by both state and federal funding, reflecting an institutional effort to build infrastructure capable of linking academic research with applied engineering and commercial technology development. The center opened in 2015. ETIC was designed as more than a conventional classroom or laboratory. Its approximately 8,000-square-foot footprint combines academic work areas, research and testing capabilities, conference and training rooms, collaborative fabrication space, a smart auditorium, and a dedicated data center. This arrangement supports the full progression of many innovation projects: identifying a technical problem, developing a concept, fabricating an early prototype, testing performance, presenting results, and considering commercialization or industry adoption. The center's capabilities are complemented by laboratories available to ETIC researchers across New York Tech. These resources include facilities for cybersecurity; energy and green technologies; renewable-energy telemetry; bioengineering and medical devices; fabrication and rapid prototyping; nanofabrication; materials; aerodynamics; instrumentation and measurement; thermo-fluid analysis; mechanical CAD/CAM; geographic information systems; microprocessor-based systems; and motion capture. The institution also identifies specialized environments such as an OSHA hazardous-waste operations facility and a Class 10,000 clean room. Together, these resources give ETIC access to a broad technical base spanning digital systems, mechanical engineering, materials, energy, biomedical devices, and experimental measurement. In 2021, ETIC entered a documented collaboration with NASA involving NASA-patented technologies. Under the arrangement, student employees worked on developing and fabricating novel prototypes and prepared marketing materials for NASA commercialization initiatives. Two examples associated with the work were a robotic therapy vest intended for people with neurological impairments and the C-gauge, a device designed to measure cord tension in parachutes, sails, and weather balloons. The engagement demonstrated the center's model of combining student participation, academic engineering resources, prototype development, and technology-transfer objectives. ETIC's historical significance lies primarily in its role as an innovation infrastructure platform rather than as an independent product manufacturer. Its work is organized around research, education, experimentation, fabrication, and commercialization support. Public reference material does not provide a detailed account of subsequent leadership, financial performance, independent incorporation, or a separate operating market beyond its affiliation with New York Tech. The available record supports describing ETIC as an active university-based research and entrepreneurship center, while leaving corporate and executive details unspecified.

• 2021

  NASA prototype and commercialization collaboration

  [1]Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  NASA contracted with ETIC for student development and fabrication of prototypes based on NASA patents, along with marketing materials supporting NASA technology commercialization.

• 2015

  Center opens

  [1]Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Center opened at New York Institute of Technology after being developed with state and federal funding.

An academic-industry innovation center that combines research laboratories, engineering facilities, student talent, prototyping capabilities, and commercialization support.

• Medical technology prototype · 2021

  Robotic therapy vest

  A reported NASA-related prototype developed by ETIC student employees for potential therapeutic use by patients with neurological impairments. The available reference describes the concept as a robotic therapy vest but does not provide detailed specifications, clinical status, commercialization status, or production information.

• Instrumentation prototype · 2021

  C-gauge

  A technology prototype associated with ETIC's NASA work, designed to measure cord tension. The reported potential applications include parachutes, sails, and weather balloons. Public reference material does not establish whether the device entered commercial production or broader operational deployment.

• 2021

  Expand into NASA technology commercialization supportStrategy

  Background

  NASA sought support for developing and commercializing technologies covered by NASA patents.

  Action taken

  ETIC student employees developed and fabricated prototypes and prepared marketing materials for NASA commercialization efforts.

  Aftermath

  The collaboration produced reported prototype concepts including a robotic therapy vest and the C-gauge, demonstrating ETIC's application of academic resources to federally developed technologies.

  Source

1. 1Entrepreneurship and Technology Innovation Centeren.wikipedia.org