Events

SBIR Week in the Midwest provides participants with opportunities to join meetings with federal agencies that administer over 5,500 new awards annually and for virtual one-on-one meetings with program decision-makers. Livestream events and meetings include:

• Early Stage Investors Panel, October 19, 2020
• Virtual one-on-one meetings with over 20 federal agencies, October 23, 2020 (deadline to register October 15, 2020, 10 a.m. Eastern)
• How to Successfully Complete an SBIR Quad Chart Webinar (provided and led by The NIIC) on October 13, 2020, from 1 p.m. to 1:45 p.m. eastern time.  The Zoom link for this event is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89382115598.

Each registrant can select up to six agencies for one-on-one meetings and can confirm their technology aligns well with the agencies before selecting them by accessing these five-minute reverse pitches from the agencies on https://www.sbirroadtour.com/about/.

SBIR will post the final schedule for SBIR Week in the Midwest on October 16, 2020. To prepare for the meetings, please review the presentations at the bottom of the resources page for helpful hints@  https://www.sbirroadtour.com/resources/.

Register for this one day workshop: Friday, October 23, 2020

What’s your Innovativeness Index?

“Innovator Mindset® is a uniquely powerful way to measure and enhance your capacity to create new value. This rigorous research-based instrument assesses your values, assumptions and behaviors to gauge how well you are tapping into your personal capacity to innovate. It also provides detailed guidance on how you can improve your performance – to increase the value you produce, in any context or endeavor.”

The Innovator Mindset Assessment tool was created by Dennis Stauffer after extensive research in the Innovation space. The Assessment tool helps you gain an understanding of where you are as an innovator and then provides you the tools through mini online modules to grow you innovation capacity.

Join the us for Mindset One Day Workshop.  This a great opportunity offered at no charge to participants. Funded by the Office of Women Owned Small Business through the WBC EmPWR grant at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.

Participants will:

1. Gain understand of innovation capacity through the IM assessment

2. Strengthen innovation capacity through mini online modules for innovation development.

3. Collaborate and cross-pollinate in a one day on-site workshop.

IMM 1 | October One Day event: Friday, October 23, 2020 9am-4pm. Registration for the Monthly Mastermind Cohorts can be done here.

Some preparation will be required prior to event attendance.

Access to a Innovation Mindset Mastermind or One Day Workshop and the Innovator Mindset Tool requires an WBC EmPWR Program Application be on file. Email slance@niic.net for any questions.  Apply for the EmPWR program here.

Buy Tickets

Join the us for Mindset Masterminds. Mindset Masterminds are limited term cohorts of small business owners who will journey together through in the Innovation Mindset assessment and process. This a great opportunity offered at no charge to participants. Funded by the Office of Women Owned Small Business through the WBC EmPWR grant at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.  More information can be found here.

Cohorts will:

1. Gain understand of innovation capacity through the IM assessment

2. Strengthen innovation capacity through mini online modules for innovation development.

3. Collaborate and cross-pollinate in weekly 90 minute discussions over a 4 week time frame.

Choose your Innovator Mindset Opportunity:

IMM 1 | October One Day event: Friday, October 23, 2020 9am-4pm. Registration for the one day workshop can be done here.

Innovation Mindset Masterminds : Join us for a 4 week cohort, meeting once weekly for 90 minutes.  REGISTER HERE

IMM 2 | November Cohort: Meets weekly on Tuesday at 8am. November 3, 10, 17, 24

IMM 3 | December Cohort: Meets weekly on Wednesday 9am, December 1, 8, 15, 22.

IMM 4 | January Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3:30pm. January 6, 13, 20, 27

IMM 5 | February Cohort: Weekly on Tuesday at 1pm, February 2, 9, 16, 23

IMM 6| March Cohort: Weekly on Thursday at 12pm, March 4, 11, 18, 25

IMM 7| April Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3pm. April 7, 14, 21, 28

IM is Different

There are many online assessments that measure your innate personality, type, style or strengths…things about you that researchers believe are stable and unchanging.

The Innovator Mindset® instrument is different. It does much more than put you into categories. It tells you how well you are doing at being innovative, how much of your innovation potential you are fulfilling. That’s something you can control and choose to change, and IM shows you how.

What is so powerful about this approach is that you can use that feedback to improve your innovativeness, to enhance your capacity to create new value.

Access to a Innovation Mindset Mastermind and the Innovator Mindset Tool requires an WBC EmPWR Program Application be on file. Email slance@niic.net for any questions. Apply for the EmPWR program here.

The Dr. Daryl R. Yost Ideas@Work annual signature event series convenes up to 500 entrepreneurs, business leaders, and students to fuel the innovative and entrepreneurial spirit in Northeast Indiana and the greater region. This event series has featured dynamic, distinguished leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship.

This year, due to COVID-19, Ideas@Work will be a Livestream Event.

The Indiana entrepreneurial community, educators, and business leaders can celebrate the entrepreneurial community and be inspired to enact winning ideas by Wendy Kennedy, President and Founder, WKI-wendykennedy.com.

Kennedy is a global innovation, design thinking and technology expert; an award-winning professor; and author. You won’t want to miss her Livestream keynote talk, Ignite the Spark—Inspire Innovation During a Pandemic.

A bonus skill-building workshop with our keynote speaker will follow the keynote, from 1:15 to 2 p.m.

Also, two additional workshops are exclusively available to event sponsors and their guests.

November 16, 2020, Creating Exceptional Customer Experience, led by Karl R. LaPan, NIIC President & CEO, and Ted Baker, CEO/Executive Director, Innovation Connector.

November 18 Failure in a Culture of Innovation, led by Karl R. LaPan, NIIC President & CEO

Join the us for Mindset Masterminds. Mindset Masterminds are limited term cohorts of small business owners who will journey together through in the Innovation Mindset assessment and process. This a great opportunity offered at no charge to participants. Funded by the Office of Women Owned Small Business through the WBC EmPWR grant at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.  More information can be found here.

Cohorts will:

1. Gain understand of innovation capacity through the IM assessment

2. Strengthen innovation capacity through mini online modules for innovation development.

3. Collaborate and cross-pollinate in weekly 90 minute discussions over a 4 week time frame.

Choose your Innovator Mindset Opportunity:

IMM 1 | October One Day event: Friday, October 23, 2020 9am-4pm. Registration for the one day workshop can be done here.

Innovation Mindset Masterminds : Join us for a 4 week cohort, meeting once weekly for 90 minutes.  REGISTER HERE

IMM 2 | November Cohort: Meets weekly on Tuesday at 8am. November 3, 10, 17, 24

IMM 3 | December Cohort: Meets weekly on Wednesday 9am, December 1, 8, 15, 22.

IMM 4 | January Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3:30pm. January 6, 13, 20, 27

IMM 5 | February Cohort: Weekly on Tuesday at 1pm, February 2, 9, 16, 23

IMM 6| March Cohort: Weekly on Thursday at 12pm, March 4, 11, 18, 25

IMM 7| April Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3pm. April 7, 14, 21, 28

IM is Different

There are many online assessments that measure your innate personality, type, style or strengths…things about you that researchers believe are stable and unchanging.

The Innovator Mindset® instrument is different. It does much more than put you into categories. It tells you how well you are doing at being innovative, how much of your innovation potential you are fulfilling. That’s something you can control and choose to change, and IM shows you how.

What is so powerful about this approach is that you can use that feedback to improve your innovativeness, to enhance your capacity to create new value.

Access to a Innovation Mindset Mastermind and the Innovator Mindset Tool requires an WBC EmPWR Program Application be on file. Email slance@niic.net for any questions. Apply for the EmPWR program here.

Join the us for Mindset Masterminds. Mindset Masterminds are limited term cohorts of small business owners who will journey together through in the Innovation Mindset assessment and process. This a great opportunity offered at no charge to participants. Funded by the Office of Women Owned Small Business through the WBC EmPWR grant at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.  More information can be found here.

Cohorts will:

1. Gain understand of innovation capacity through the IM assessment

2. Strengthen innovation capacity through mini online modules for innovation development.

3. Collaborate and cross-pollinate in weekly 90 minute discussions over a 4 week time frame.

Choose your Innovator Mindset Opportunity:

IMM 1 | October One Day event: Friday, October 23, 2020 9am-4pm. Registration for the one day workshop can be done here.

Innovation Mindset Masterminds : Join us for a 4 week cohort, meeting once weekly for 90 minutes.  REGISTER HERE

IMM 2 | November Cohort: Meets weekly on Tuesday at 8am. November 3, 10, 17, 24

IMM 3 | December Cohort: Meets weekly on Wednesday 9am, December 1, 8, 15, 22.

IMM 4 | January Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3:30pm. January 6, 13, 20, 27

IMM 5 | February Cohort: Weekly on Tuesday at 1pm, February 2, 9, 16, 23

IMM 6| March Cohort: Weekly on Thursday at 12pm, March 4, 11, 18, 25

IMM 7| April Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3pm. April 7, 14, 21, 28

IM is Different

There are many online assessments that measure your innate personality, type, style or strengths…things about you that researchers believe are stable and unchanging.

The Innovator Mindset® instrument is different. It does much more than put you into categories. It tells you how well you are doing at being innovative, how much of your innovation potential you are fulfilling. That’s something you can control and choose to change, and IM shows you how.

What is so powerful about this approach is that you can use that feedback to improve your innovativeness, to enhance your capacity to create new value.

Access to a Innovation Mindset Mastermind and the Innovator Mindset Tool requires an WBC EmPWR Program Application be on file. Email slance@niic.net for any questions. Apply for the EmPWR program here.

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Join the us for Mindset Masterminds. Mindset Masterminds are limited term cohorts of small business owners who will journey together through in the Innovation Mindset assessment and process. This a great opportunity offered at no charge to participants. Funded by the Office of Women Owned Small Business through the WBC EmPWR grant at the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center.  More information can be found here.

Cohorts will:

1. Gain understand of innovation capacity through the IM assessment

2. Strengthen innovation capacity through mini online modules for innovation development.

3. Collaborate and cross-pollinate in weekly 90 minute discussions over a 4 week time frame.

Choose your Innovator Mindset Opportunity:

IMM 1 | October One Day event: Friday, October 23, 2020 9am-4pm. Registration for the one day workshop can be done here.

Innovation Mindset Masterminds : Join us for a 4 week cohort, meeting once weekly for 90 minutes.  REGISTER HERE

IMM 2 | November Cohort: Meets weekly on Tuesday at 8am. November 3, 10, 17, 24

IMM 3 | December Cohort: Meets weekly on Wednesday 9am, December 1, 8, 15, 22.

IMM 4 | January Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3:30pm. January 6, 13, 20, 27

IMM 5 | February Cohort: Weekly on Tuesday at 1pm, February 2, 9, 16, 23

IMM 6| March Cohort: Weekly on Thursday at 12pm, March 4, 11, 18, 25

IMM 7| April Cohort: Weekly on Wednesday at 3pm. April 7, 14, 21, 28

IM is Different

There are many online assessments that measure your innate personality, type, style or strengths…things about you that researchers believe are stable and unchanging.

The Innovator Mindset® instrument is different. It does much more than put you into categories. It tells you how well you are doing at being innovative, how much of your innovation potential you are fulfilling. That’s something you can control and choose to change, and IM shows you how.

What is so powerful about this approach is that you can use that feedback to improve your innovativeness, to enhance your capacity to create new value.

Access to a Innovation Mindset Mastermind and the Innovator Mindset Tool requires an WBC EmPWR Program Application be on file. Email slance@niic.net for any questions. Apply for the EmPWR program here.

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates

Register now>>

KARE will offer in-person workshops for two cohorts:

(Please register for the time slot that best suits your business identity–you must select all the dates for your cohort)

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with less than $100,000 in Sales
  • Mondays, 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

• Virtual Cohort for Businesses with $100,000 or More in Sales
  • Tuesdays, 11 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.
    • January 11
    • January 25
    • February 8
    • February 22

All registrants will be asked to complete the EmPWR application process as a part of their participation requirements. Complete the EmPWR application now.

KARE workshops will be offered in January and February by the Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program at The Northeast Indiana Innovation Center (The NIIC). This is a multi day event, every other week for a total of 4 meetings .

Reach new levels of sales success through your business with the Northeast Indiana Innovation Center’s (The NIIC) Women’s Business Center (WBC) EmPWR program’s KARE Workshop Series.

Lead by Kelly Ambriole, associate partner with Sandler Sales, startup and growth businesses will embark on the four-week workshop series beginning virtually in August and in-person in January. Through the program, participants will identify clients and accounts in their portfolio they want to keep, attain, recapture and expand. The KARE model can help business leaders correctly target their efforts and ensure they are using the correct approach for each customer.

Topics include:

• KARE
• Ideal Client Profile
• Behavior Cookbook

Worksheets to be provided by Wilcox & Associates