The thingQbator program is a part of Cisco’s CSR commitment, with the objective of building digital skills, creating local solutions to local problems and facilitating student entrepreneurship.

The thingQbator program is a part of Cisco’s CSR commitment, with the objective of building digital skills, creating local solutions to local problems and facilitating student entrepreneurship. Cisco’s thingQbator is a network of makerspaces rolled out all over the world in many countries by the global leader Cisco in partnership with Universities where students can learn about digital technologies in a friendly hands on environment, turn their ideas into working prototypes and in the process come up with local solutions to local problems.

thingQbator Origins

The name “thingQbator” is a combination of ‘Internet of Things’ and ‘Incubator’. thingQbator was started as an internal incubator of IoT ideas coming from Cisco’s engineering community. With the central belief that none of us is

smarter than all of us, the aim was to create makerspaces where IoT enthusiasts could learn more about digital technologies in a hands-on environment and turn their ideas into working prototypes.

Inspired by the success of their internal makerspaces Cisco has come up with the concept of “thingQbator for Universities” to help universities and academic institutions to set up IoT makerspaces to help them accelerate innovation around IoT and digital technologies in their campus.

thingQbator Objectives

In India Cisco has set up 18 thingQbator makerspaces as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility commitments through their project implementation partner – NASSCOM Foundation.

The stated objectives of the thingQbator program in Universities are as follows:

  • Build Digital Skills: thingQbator provides a platform that enables students to learn by doing
  • Enables local solutions to local problem: The platform is for the makers, by the makers. It democratizes innovation by building spaces and communities
  • Link innovation to markets: through cohorts, students can partner with like-minded makers to scale relevant ideas
  • Accelerate student entrepreneurship: Help students transition from job seeker to job creator

thingQbator Guiding Principles providing support for:

  • Geek Playground
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Community Driven Activities
  • Interdisciplinary Collaboration
  • Global Community with Local Autonomy
  • IP belongs to the Creator

thingQbator Makerspace

‘Cisco thingQbator’ makerspaces are equipped with everything needed to turn an IoT idea into a working prototype, including both Cisco and 3rd party equipment, such as:

  • Marketspace Network
  • Local Server
  • Webex Teams
  • Edge Routers
  • IoT Platforms
  • Cloud Infrastructure
  • Development Boards
  • Sensors
  • Actuators
  • Components
  • 3D Printing
  • Tools

thingQbator Innovation Model

The thingQbator program is structured to encourage a rapid prototyping mindset. As part of the program, a rotating cohort of about 50 students will join the program every 6 months. Over the course of the 6 months, they get 24/7 access to the makerspace and all the equipment and tools therein as well as mentorship and training. The cohort culminates with a demo-day wherein decisions are made on how to proceed with the prototypes built by the cohort.

Key events involved in cohort cycle every 6 months are:

  • Cohort Selection
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Demo Day

List of Teams selected from Cisco thingQbator at Trident Academy of Technology for participation in Cohort-4:

Cisco thingQbator Global Page