Are you an independent or home school student, or a student who aspires to be an innovator, but whose school or teacher is not current participating in the
Believe in Ohio program?
You can also participate in the Believe in Ohio program!
You are invited to compete with other students to earn competition awards, and potentially to be awarded a college scholarship. To compete, students develop a STEM Commercialization Plan or a STEM Business Plan. To get started or to get more information contact the Believe in Ohio STEM Advocate for your region of the state. Your STEM Advocate will explain how you can participate and guide you through the development of your STEM Plan. Your STEM Advocate will also include you in a virtual class where you will have an opportunity to compete with other students for potential awards and scholarships and explain how you can use the extensive resources Believe in Ohio has available to help you develop your plan. Independent students have the option of developing either a STEM Commercialization Plan or a STEM Business Plan.
A STEM Commercialization Plan is a written document that describes how a new and/or an existing STEM concept, prototype, process, idea or technology (or a combination of multiple STEM concepts, processes, ideas or technologies) may be applied, or further developed to provide a solution to a marketplace or societal problem, need or opportunity. A STEM Commercialization Plan essentially provides a written “science & technology proof of concept” to support an innovative product or service concept or idea. A STEM Commercialization Plan includes both a persuasive science and technology assessment and plan and a discussion of the concept’s likely commercial feasibility and viability.
A STEM Business Plan is a written document that describes how to apply a new or existing technology to create a new product or service or enhance an existing product or service with new features or capabilities that can be successfully developed into a real-world business opportunity and “taken to market.” Thus, a STEM Business Plan provides a written “business & financial proof of concept” to support an innovative product or service that may be taken to market. A quality STEM Business Plan will not only include plans for taking a product to market, but should also include the student’s assessment of the viability of the science and technology supporting the product or service idea.
Key Instructional Resources for Students
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- Video – Are You Ready for the Future? (5:43)
- Video 1 – Why students are asked to do a STEM Plan (2:39)
- Video 2 – What, specifically, students are asked to do to develop their STEM Plan (4:59)
- Video 3 – Working through Mileposts 1-3 (4:41)
- Video 4 – Working through Mileposts 1-8 (11:38)
- Video 5c – Working through Mileposts 9-12 (5:29) (For STEM Commercialization Plans)
- Video 5b – Working through Mileposts 9-12 (5:34) (For STEM Business Plans)
Printable Instructional Materials
Click on the links below to open the instructional material in a new window:
- Ohio Roadmap to Future Jobs & Prosperity
- How to Navigate the Believe in Ohio STEM Plan Instructional Roadmap – Mileposts 1-8
- Student Step by Step Instructions for Determining the Commercial Feasibility of Your Plan & Developing the Plan Itself
- Student Instructions for Writing and Formatting Their STEM Plan
- Ohio Roadmap to Future Jobs & Prosperity – Mileposts 1-8 – Printable Student Worksheet
- (Business Plan) – Suggestions for Developing a STEM Business Plan and Financial Projection
- (Business Plan) Potential Revenue Models to Consider When Developing your STEM Business Plan
- (Business Plan) Financial Projection Template Instructions
Printable Templates
- STEM Commercialization Plan MS Word Template
- STEM Business Plan MS Word Template
- (Business Plan) Preparing a Three Year Financial Projection (will open as an Excel template)
Examples of past ‘highly rated’ STEM Plans for student review
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Judging Rubrics
Inspirational & Explanatory Resources for Students
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Additional “Roadmap” videos for students:
Click on the links below to open the video in a new window:
- Milepost 0 – The Challenge of the Future
- Milepost 0 – Introduction to Entrepreneurship
- Milepost 0 – Think, Innovate, Change
- Milepost 1 – Finding Problems, Seeing Opportunities
- Milepost 2 – Proposing Solutions
- Milepost 3 – Using Technology to Execute a Solution
- Milepost 4 – Who Can Benefit From Your Solution?
- Milepost 5 – Who Are Your Competitors?
- Milepost 6 – What Value Do You Bring to the Market
- Milepost 7 – Will Your Idea Generate Revenue?
- Milepost 8 – What Will It Cost to Get Started?
- Milepost 8 – What Are the Operating Costs?
- Traffic Light – Does Your Idea Get a Green Light?