Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Projects can be any technical, engineering, or computing challenges. Whether your firm wants help with Artificial Intelligence, Predictive Analytics, Cloud Computing or any other elements of better digitalization for Industry 4.0, let our talented Wayne State Engineering and Computer Science students find the perfect solution.
Another benefit of partnering with the Engineering Solution Center is that, where required, projects can be composed of cross-disciplinary team members. For example, a single team might include students from:
- College of Engineering
- School of Business
- Medical School
- College of Fine and Performing Arts
Or any combination required, from any discipline, to form a successful team.
A simple virtual meeting is all that is needed. We will discuss your general project goals in the meeting, including deliverables and timing.
Schedule your meeting now on the How to Engage page, or use the following link: Discuss Your Project.
The cost will vary depending on complexity, duration and resources needed. Your firm pays Wayne State University (WSU) directly, and WSU handles all recruiting and hiring.
Project complexity drives student skill requirements. Student academic level ranges from undergrad to PhD candidates, and the overall cost will vary per the academic level requirements.
Once we discuss the scope of your project, we will provide a cost estimate and a statement of work for your consideration.
Project durations usually range from 2-3 months to a year.
Each project includes a Wayne State University project manager and a technical business manager from industry.
Your project manager is responsible for the overall success of your projects, including:
- Capturing your project requirements and translating them into a statement of work and cost estimate.
- Securing students at the skill level required for your project.
- Acting as the liaison between you and the student team at the University.
- Updating project status: progress, deliverables, student team information, and bottlenecks should they arise.
- Set up meetings between your firm and the student team, as needed.
- Working through business-related issues, including the original contract and statement of work.
Yes. For the benefit of your firm, Wayne State University has developed a successful format the project agreement and includes the following components:
- Master Services Agreement
- Statement of Work (SOW)/Project Plan
- Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) and Intellectual Property Rights assignment.
That’s very straightforward, and our Master Services Agreement (MSA) anticipates that. Once signed, it forms the basis for an ongoing relationship with the Center. The original MSA does NOT need to be re-executed. We simply create the new Statement of Work for your next project and append it to the existing contract.
Contact your project manager to initiate the new project and continue to benefit even more from working with Wayne State University’s Engineering Solution Center.
Our student teams work on-campus. Depending on the students’ preferences and status, some may be capable of working at company sites, but that is done less often. Please let us know early if you need students to work from your location(s), so we can assemble the right team for such an engagement.
The Engineering Solution Center’s project manager will recruit, vet, interview, and choose your team members. Recruiting begins once a Statement of Work is in place, defining the student skillsets you seek. In some cases, firms can have student introductions before hiring and onboarding. Please express that desire to your project manager if that is of interest.
Your firm pays Wayne State University directly, and we take care of paying students, projects managers, and any Experts-in-Residence on your project team. This is yet another valuable service provided by the Engineering Solution Center so your firm can concentrate on moving ahead.
The project planning phase, which includes the Statement of Work, student recruitment, and onboarding can take 4 – 6 weeks. This time could be shorter if there are students in the pipeline who have already passed a background check.
Students typically range in their skill levels from Juniors or Seniors in undergrad degree programs to Master’s degree or even PhD candidates.
Your firm can save dramatically by sponsoring a project at the Engineering Solution Center. Savings of 30-50% over expensive commercial industry rates are common.
No; however, we suggest you do not choose anything mission-critical, simply based on a potential learning curve. It takes our students some time to learn the nuances and specifics of your project, and we ask that you choose projects which can allow some buffer time for this reason. Also, students’ maximum hourly contribution per week is usually 20 hours, as most students are also in a full-time academic program. Student’s academic load can also vary and the hourly contribution could decrease a little at times. However, students know they should aim to work 20 hours per week on your project whenever possible.
Each student’s maximum hours per week is usually limited to 20 hours, as most are also in a full-time academic program. Over summer break, or when students do not have coursework, they may be able to increase hours.