I3: Ideas, Insights, Impact

I3 is a program that helps postdocs and graduate students learn and apply new skills to sharpen their research focus and maximize impact in their fields.

I3 Program Information

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Why join the program?

Postdocs and graduate students invest an enormous amount of energy attempting to predict whether the research they plan will be successful. Performing pilot experiments and keeping up with new publications are two examples of how we assess what is known as technical risk.

But there’s a second kind of risk: what if your project succeeds… but no one notices? Whether your audience is grant reviewers, journal editors, or job search committees, you’ll need them to see the potential impact of your work in order to succeed. With I3, you can learn and use new skills to address your market risk and increase the impact of your work in academia, industry, or wherever your career takes you.

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How does it work?

I3 is a free six-week program that will introduce postdocs and grad students to key concepts that directly address these kinds of problems. Working individually or as a team, you will learn and apply skills to sharpen your research focus and innovation mindset, while growing your professional networks.

  1. Choose an innovative idea from your own research or another topic in the cohort.
  2. Attend four live online training workshops on how the business model canvas, discovery interview process, and market research can help your research.
  3. Use the customer discovery process with your team to gain insights into who values the idea, and why.
  4. Receive feedback from experienced mentors throughout the process.
  5. In the final workshop, present what you have learned as a team about why your team’s innovation provides value and impact, or why it does not.

View the I3 program flyer pdf.

Full program schedule listed below.

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What will I get out of it?

  • Gain valuable insights on the next steps for your research/development
  • Experience the value of these concepts in action and identify pain points
  • Develop new connections and expand your professional network
  • Join a community of postdocs seeking to develop new skills and connections

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How do I join?

Questions about the program? Contact Aimee Arnoldussen at aimee.arnoldussen@wisc.edu.

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Program Schedule

Session Date Week Zoom Topics Independent Work
Wed Aug 17 Week 1 BMC as a Tool
Customer Discovery
Team formation
Readings and Videos
Wed Aug 24 Week 2 Market Research
Team Breakout Interview
Readings and Videos
Mentor Meetings
Wed Aug 31
(No Zoom)
Week 3 No Group Meeting Mentor Meetings
Discovery Interviews
Wed Sept 7 Week 4 WARF Disclosure
Team Presentations of Insights
Mentor Meetings
Discovery Interviews
Wed Sept 14
(No Zoom)
Week 5 No Group Meeting Readings and Videos
Mentor Meetings
Discovery Interviews
Wed Sept 21 Week 6 Final Team Presentations
Innovation Next Steps

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Sponsors

This program was conceived and organized by: