Grant Support and Collaboration
Sears think[box] is committed to fostering innovation and collaboration in all its forms. We strive to support grant applications and research proposals whenever possible; however, we must carefully balance these requests with the needs of the rest of our community.
Our spaces, tools, and equipment are available to all users on an equal basis during open hours. We do not allow monopolization of our machines for any given project, nor can we guarantee dedicated space, personalized attention, or specialized technical expertise beyond what is available to all users.
Please consider the below guidelines before including Sears think[box] in a grant proposal:
Key Considerations for Grant Proposals
- Mission alignment: All partnerships must align with the mission of Sears think[box] to:
- support people in learning, refining, and utilizing skills to achieve their desired goals in innovation, entrepreneurship, and making;
- cultivate and welcome a diverse community; and
- create a culture that encourages persistence and values resilience.
- Scope of use: Our resources are free but finite. Please consider us for prototyping and small-scale projects, but know we are not the right fit for extensive production needs or continuous lab operations. Just as we cannot support users producing 10 or more of the same product, we also cannot support ongoing experiments, testing, or research activities that require dedicated, long-term setups.
- Budgeting for support: If your proposal requires dedicated support or specific resource commitments from Sears think[box], please include these needs in your grant budget and clearly outline them in your partnership request. While many services are complimentary, some do have associated costs:
- Materials & supplies: Users are responsible for material costs. A limited selection of materials is available for purchase from our 3rd floor welcome desk, or users may supply their own. Outside materials must be approved by staff before use.
- Space rentals: Fees apply for reserving our Community (1st) Floor and other event spaces throughout the building.
- Waterjet: While most equipment is free to use, the waterjet incurs a cost of $1 per minute of runtime to cover the consumable garnet abrasive.
- Specialized 3D printing: Our Additive Manufacturing Studio offers specialized 3D printing services for a fee, including SLA resin printing; industrial FDM printing in ABS, TPU, and PC; and industrial PolyJet printing. Only think[box] technicians are permitted to operate these machines. Users can submit an order, approve a quote, and typically pick up their finished print in 5-7 days. For more accessible 3D printing, desktop FDM printers are available on a self-serve, first-come, first-served basis for PLA filament.
- Design services: We do not offer custom CAD (design) or CAM (toolpathing) services.
Suggested Language for Grant “Facilities & Other Resources”
Sears think[box] is a seven-story, 50,000-square-foot public-access innovation ecosystem at Case Western Reserve University. Its makerspace includes tools and equipment for prototyping and fabrication, including a woodshop, metal shop, welding shop, and waterjet in addition to 3D printers, laser cutters, textile machines, and electronics benches. The Veale Institute for Entrepreneurship and the Cray Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship help users turn innovations into market-ready, competitive products and services. (70 words)
-or-
Sears think[box] at Case Western Reserve University is a 50,000-square-foot, seven-story innovation and entrepreneurship center serving the campus community and general public. The building offers extensive collaboration and coworking spaces as well as a two-floor makerspace. The third floor houses a diverse array of prototyping equipment, including 3D printers and scanners, laser cutters, electronics benches, sewing and embroidery machines, vinyl cutters, vacuum formers, and more. On the fourth floor, users can access high-tech fabrication facilities for metalworking and woodworking, including a waterjet cutter, welding equipment, and both manual and CNC mills and lathes. Staff and student technicians are available to answer questions and support novice users. By fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and skill development, think[box] serves as a catalyst for transforming creative ideas into early prototypes. (127 words)
Our complete list of available equipment and services is available at: https://case.edu/thinkbox/equipment. Note that these can be neither reserved nor guaranteed for grant use at the expense of our general user base.
Submit a Request for Support
If you believe your proposed use of Sears think[box] meets these guidelines, please submit a Partner Request Form a minimum of 30 days prior to the submission deadline. Short turnaround times cannot be accommodated.
Note that we do require approval over final language relating to Sears think[box] in your application if it plays a significant role in your proposed project activities, or if you require a letter of support.
What happens next?
Our team will review your request to ensure that the proposed language accurately reflects our mission, facilities, and resources, and that the outlined activities are appropriate and feasible for our staff, equipment, and facilities.
If your request aligns with our mission and available resources, we will contact you to schedule a consultation call.
If your request does not align with our mission and available resources, we will provide feedback explaining why it cannot be accommodated as-is and, when possible, suggest edits.
We would love to hear from you
We are constantly updating our programming and equipment planning based on user feedback. We would love to hear how you use think[box] in your research.
Note: These guidelines are subject to change. Please check our website regularly for the most up-to-date information.