Educational Programs at AutomationDirect

AutomationDirect will accept requests for product donations and product discounts from schools, colleges, and universities throughout the year, and we will award grants in the form of discounts and donations on the following dates:
Requests should be submitted at least one week prior to these dates.

The focus of AutomationDirect’s product grant program is on the education of students in the use of AutomationDirect products, and specifically on our core programmable products, PACs/PLCs, operator interface products, motor control (VFD) & motion control products. To this end we prefer to make donations of - or offer discounts on - these types of products. Requests for other types of products to be used in conjunction with these core products are also encouraged.

Once grant decisions are made, donated/discounted product can typically be shipped from stock within a few days – if not immediately. In some cases, the school may have to fulfill certain obligations before the product in question can ship. If a grant is not funded after the initial request – schools are encouraged to continue to apply for future grants. There are many reasons that a grant request might be turned down (including budgetary restrictions). AutomationDirect will attempt to provide as much information as is reasonable in the event that a request is turned down.

Grant requests should include:

• An itemized parts list of the requested product including part numbers and descriptions (one easy way to develop such a list is to create a store account, put the desired quantity of each item in the shopping cart, and use the “Get a Quote” function on the shopping cart screen to save the list. These quotes can be accessed by AutomationDirect personnel, making the order entry process much easier). E-mail lists and Excel spreadsheets are also acceptable.
• Type of educational program: continuing education (adult), degree programs, course work tailored to specific industrial customers, etc.
• Details of how the products are to be used in the classroom: The length and number of the courses that will be offered. The level of instruction to be offered (overview, or in depth product training – course work or project-based usage). Please include an estimate of the number of students who will be exposed to the product (at each level) in a given semester/quarter or school year.
• Whether the school has any available funding to assist with the project. AutomationDirect wishes to help as many schools as possible with a fixed budget, and schools that are willing to purchase some of the equipment will be helping to stretch this budget and maximize the benefits of the grant program to all schools. In many cases AutomationDirect has offered to donate one or more lab stations for each station that a school purchases. While not required, arrangements of this type will be given more favorable consideration.
• Schools with requests for large systems, or large numbers of identical lab stations should consider whether the request could be broken up and implemented over several years. Schools may wish to provide a multiyear plan in the event that a large donation/discount cannot be accommodated in a single year.
• The school’s plan for curriculum development. While AutomationDirect does not currently offer any specific educational materials, there is a wealth of information online, including all of our manuals (free downloads), product inserts, and “Learn” videos. Would the school be willing to share any educational materials that they develop with other schools?
• Would the school be willing to help write articles about their educational efforts, student projects, or to nominate an outstanding student for our “Student Spotlight” for publication in Automation Notebook, or perhaps in other industry magazines?
• Full contact info : including Professor’s names, other decision makers at the school, and very important - the preferred shipping address.

AutomationDirect prefers that grant request information be submitted via e-mail at . Follow-up questions and notification of awards will typically be e-mailed, although a contact phone number should also be provided. Schools should be aware that any purchases of product should be handled though the AutomationDirect sales department.