Lemelson-MIT Program

Name

Lemelson-MIT Program

Legal name

Lemelson-MIT Program

Website

https://lemelson.mit.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Lemelson-MIT Program is a non-profit invention education initiative within MIT's School of Engineering that funds high school InvenTeams, recognizes collegiate and mid-career inventors through prizes, and delivers invention-education curricula and professional development to students and educators nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Education and Invention Recognition

NAICS

Other Technical and Trade Schools (611519)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Teacher Training & Curriculum Providers (Robotics/Maker Education) (EDAMADAM), STEM Competitions & Olympiads (Science Bowls, STEM Challenges) (EDAMABAL)

Keywords

• Invention education
• STEM education programs
• Educator professional development
• Invention grants
• Inventor recognition awards

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant Funding and Donations: The Lemelson-MIT Program operates as an educational nonprofit at MIT funded primarily through grants and charitable donations. Programs include the Lemelson-MIT Prize ($500,000 awarded to mid-career inventors), Student Prize, and InvenTeam grants to high school students. No commercial revenue streams.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Lemelson-MIT Program funds and operates invention education programs for K-12 and collegiate students, including the InvenTeams grants initiative (up to $10,000 per high school team), JV InvenTeams for grades 7-10, the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize for collegiate inventors, professional development workshops for educators, and patent/IP education through The Inventor's Patent Academy. The program also recognizes outstanding mid-career inventors through the historic $500,000 Lemelson-MIT Prize and runs the annual EurekaFest showcase event at MIT.

Product overview

The Lemelson-MIT Program is a national initiative at MIT that serves as an umbrella for multiple invention education and recognition programs. The core offerings include the InvenTeams grants initiative for high school students and JV InvenTeams for middle school students, which provide hands-on invention experiences; the prestigious Lemelson-MIT Prize ($500,000) and Student Prize for recognizing outstanding inventors; EurekaFest as the annual celebration event; and Professional Development Workshops for educators. Supporting resources include Invention Education Resources (curricula, webinars, patent handbook), The Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA), Student Fellows Program, and the Partners In Invention Education (PiE) network. Together, these programs form a comprehensive ecosystem that celebrates invention, inspires youth to invent, and provides educational resources for students and educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• InvenTeams: A national grants initiative for high school students, educators and mentors to invent technological solutions to real-world problems.
• JV InvenTeams
• Lemelson-MIT Student Prize
• EurekaFest
• Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA)
• Student Fellows Program

Products and services

• InvenTeams A national grants initiative for high school students, educators, and mentors to invent technological solutions to real-world problems through yearlong invention projects. Teams receive up to $10,000 in grant funding to develop and present prototypes at EurekaFest.
• JV InvenTeams A program for students in grades 7-10 to hone hands-on skills and enrich STEM education through invention-based design activities.
• Lemelson-MIT Student Prize Award program recognizing promising collegiate inventors across the country, with categories such as 'Cure it!', 'Eat it!', and 'Use it!' for innovative solutions in healthcare, food/agriculture, and consumer devices.
• Professional Development Workshops Summer and fall workshops for educators on invention education methodologies and curriculum implementation, provided at no cost to participants.
• The Inventor's Patent Academy (TIPA) A program providing education and resources on patents and intellectual property for student inventors.
• Student Fellows Program A research fellowship and internship program for students interested in invention and innovation.
• Invention Education Fellows A fellowship program for educators to develop expertise in invention education methodologies.
• Partners In Invention Education (PiE) A network connecting educators, organizations, and industry partners to advance invention education across communities.
• Invention Education Resources Educational materials including curricula for invention, webinar recordings, inventor handbook, patent resources, and the LMIT Possibility Bank.
• EurekaFest A multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit held annually at MIT campus where InvenTeams showcase their invention projects and prizes are awarded.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered minor, flagship and core.

• QualcommminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 April 2026Partnered with Río Hondo College's Río Innovates Symposium alongside The Lemelson-MIT Program to support invention and innovation programming.
• Boy Scouts of AmericaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 June 2010Collaboration to develop and launch the Inventing merit badge for Boy Scouts, designed to encourage Scouts to be inventive and solve real-world problems. The badge was announced June 17, 2010 at EurekaFest.
• Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant funding for clean energy career pathway programs at Massachusetts high schools including Watertown High School and Haverhill Public Schools. MassCEC sponsors in-house field trips and the High Performance Building Innovators Club.
• New England Invents (NEI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator with LMIT and Haverhill Public Schools on the $400,000 MassCEC grant to advance clean energy career pathways for high school students.
• Beyond BenignminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint initiative to introduce the JV InvenTeams Green Chemistry Activity Guide, encouraging students to use green chemistry principles to invent bioplastics.
• Haverhill High SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner school in the MassCEC grant program, where students tackle clean energy challenges as part of the LMIT-led initiative.
• Río Hondo CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPioneer in invention education with 'Innovation, Invention and Entrepreneurship Certificate' for students. Hosted Río Innovates Symposium featuring Dr. Stephanie Couch as keynote speaker.
• California Community CollegescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStatewide initiative to catalyze innovation and invention to solve social challenges, inviting all Californians to become social enterprise inventors through LMIT-supported programs.
• MIT Day of Climate InitiativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGrant-funded initiative with a goal to develop climate and sustainability curriculum to pK-12 classrooms. LMIT's Liza Goldstein developed the 'Eco Textile Fun' curriculum.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• STEM Next Opportunity Fund: National funder and field-builder for informal STEM learning through community organizations; complements LMIT's mission of expanding high-quality STEM experiences beyond traditional classrooms.
• Code.org: Largest K-12 computer science education nonprofit offering free curriculum, teacher training, and advocacy; peer in scale and approach for free K-12 STEM curriculum and educator professional development.

Direct peers

• Maker Ed: Nonprofit advancing maker education in K-12 through teacher training, program resources, and school partnerships; aligns with LMIT's professional development workshops and invention-focused curriculum work.
• National Inventors Hall of Fame: Recognizes outstanding US inventors through induction and operates Camp Invention, a K-12 STEM summer program; overlaps with the Lemelson-MIT Prize inventor recognition function and InvenTeams-style youth invention programs.
• MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement): Pre-college STEM enrichment program targeting underrepresented students through hands-on projects, teacher training, and competitions; overlaps with LMIT's mission to expand STEM pathways for underserved K-12 populations.
• Project Lead the Way: Provides K-12 STEM curriculum and teacher professional development adopted by thousands of US schools; similar function to LMIT's Invention Education curriculum, PD workshops, and educator network for hands-on problem-solving STEM.
• Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair (Society for Science): Runs the world's largest pre-college science competition with affiliated fairs and recognition programs; directly comparable to the Lemelson-MIT Student Prize and EurekaFest as collegiate-level science/invention recognition.
• FIRST: Operates K-12 STEM competition programs (FLL, FTC, FRC) with team grants, coach training, and national events; the closest comparable to Lemelson-MIT's InvenTeams grants, JV InvenTeams, and EurekaFest model of student invention competitions.

Emerging players

• Iridescent: Nonprofit delivering family-based STEM engagement programs targeting underrepresented communities; comparable target audience and educator-train-the-trainer model to LMIT's outreach work.
• Maker Media (Make: Community): Operates Make: Magazine and Maker Faire ecosystem that supports hands-on inventing and making culture; adjacent niche player in the same maker/invention space as LMIT's programs.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/LemelsonMIT
• YouTubeyoutube.com/LemelsonMITProgram
• Facebookfacebook.com/LemelsonMITProgram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/40829030
• Instagraminstagram.com/lemelsonmit

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lemelson-MIT Program