Table of Contents

Executive Summary

The University of Toronto Introduction to Software Engineering Community Partnership program (”Partnership”) started in 2018. We have had over two hundred partners (non-profits, startups, universities, hospitals, research centers, and small businesses) with users in all continents (except Antarctica) to solve real problems using software. The impressive work of the students has helped our partners move their initiatives forward. Previous partners include teams from UNICEF, 1Password, Engineers Without Borders, Boston Children’s Hospital, Centre for Social Innovation, University of Toronto, Harvard Medical School, and over a hundred new ventures.

If you have a software initiative that can benefit from unique software, we invite you to review this document fully and submit a proposal for the Summer 2025 cohort (May-August). Students will be developing software projects in teams of 6-7. They are in their third or fourth year of study in computer science, and many of them have professional working experience (e.g., as interns). They will be led by experienced Teaching Assistants who have professional experience as software engineers.

Submitting Proposals (Your Next Step)

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Proposal Submission opens on April 8, 2025, and will close on May 3, 2025 at 11:59 EST.

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At this point, over 50% of our partners are returning partners.

If you are a returning partner, you are welcome to submit proposals now using the link below.

If you are a new partner, we strongly recommend reviewing the material so you have a solid grasp of what to expect before submitting a proposal.

Required Information

Proposals contains 4 sections and should take about 30-90 minutes to answer all questions. You can review the questions and prepare beforehand but you may need to submit them all at once. We will collect the following information in two steps:

  1. Partner registration: We collect basic information about you and your organization ~5 minutes Please register, even if you are a returning partner.
  2. Project proposal details: 60-90 minutes
    1. Description including questions about required software, users (~50-100 words), functionalities (~200-400 words), value to the organization (~50-100 words)
    2. Understanding of the partnership agreement
    3. (Optional) Pitch Video: If you want to include a "Pitch Video", we need a url to include in the proposal.
    4. Timing and Logistics
    5. Project confidentiality and ownership

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If you are in the early stages, it will help immensely if you build early prototypes and proofs of concepts with lovable.dev, v0.dev, Bolt.new so you can include some details for students to visualize. They require no technical knowledge.

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How to Submit Proposals

<aside> 💡 **Proposal submission has two separate forms:

  1. Register yourself as a partner: We collect some basic information about you and your organization ~5 minutes
  2. Submit project proposals: You can submit as many as you want.

Missed the deadline? You can join our waitlist to be notified for future cohorts.**

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You can see an example of the functionalities of a great proposal that led to a successful project here and here. Please provide as much detail as you can in your proposal to help us understand your project more deeply. This will allow the students to know in advance and increase the chances of success for your project. If you have any questions, please see our FAQ section and don’t hesitate to contact David Jorjani with any new questions.

Project Overview & Examples

Students will develop a Minimum Viable Product (MVP). This MVP is a minimal solution to a problem for a specific set of users defined by the partners. Students will work with partners to define the scope of the project and aim to deliver the MVP by the end of the term. Many partners have praised the critical thinking that comes from this process. You can see some examples of student work below.