About Engineering Development Services

Telephone, Elevator, Light Bulb, Airplane, Personal Computer... 

These products, and many others we use everyday, were created by small businesses.  New technologies developed by small businesses result in increased efficiency, sales, new companies, and sometimes whole new markets.  Throughout the economy, small firms create more innovations per employee than large firms do.  Engineering Development Services (EDS) allows clients of the PASBDC network to tap the resources, technical expertise, and research and development opportunities of a world class engineering college.

To assist the Commonwealth's entrepreneurs and small businesses in transforming their ideas into successful commercial products, the Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers offer specialty technical consulting from Bucknell's SBDC, hosted by the College of Engineering.  And, in addition to assisting entrepreneurs and start-up firms, EDS is a resource for existing companies seeking to create new products, improve existing products, and for a variety of other areas of engineering assistance.  EDS can assist your firm with manufacturing process improvement projects, investigate new technologies, and work with you to explore new markets for your manufacturing capabilities.  The staff of Engineering Development Services guides each project with support from engineering college faculty, staff, student interns, and even long-term class projects.

Engineering Development Services can advise you in protecting your Intellectual Property and introduce you to the patent process.  At a very early stage of product development assistance, clients will receive assistance with a preliminary patent search.

Clients can receive assistance in product design and re-design, prototype construction, and product testing, and will be guided through our customized New Product Development process, the Flexi-Trac Client Mapping (TM) System.

Through Engineering Development Services, clients have access to resources such as computer aided design (CAD) and analysis software, the Project Development Laboratory (a fully equipped machine shop),  Rapid Prototyping equipment, and over thirty other state-of-the-art laboratories. 

Engineering Development Services are available to entrepreneurs and small businesses throughout the Commonwealth as a referral from your local SBDC.  Your local Small Business Development Center can guide you in your business plan and assist you in assessing the market for your product idea.  Once you have worked with a business consultant to assess your development needs, you will be referred to Engineering Development Services at the Bucknell University SBDC.