Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

From East Tennessee State University:

Tennesseans now have a new way to explore the factors that impact livability in communities across the Volunteer State, thanks to a publicly accessible tool that provides county-level data on a range of topics that contribute to quality of life.

The Tennessee Livability Dashboard compiles more than 60 indicators spanning housing, transportation, education, health care, employment, and other key measures of livability. It’s the latest initiative from the Tennessee Livability Collaborative — a group of 26 state agencies, departments, commissions and academic institutions — and was developed by East Tennessee State University’s (ETSU) Center for Rural Health and Research (CRHR).

“The dashboard provides a one-stop, accessible way to explore the factors shaping quality of life in Tennessee,” said Dr. Qian Huang, a Research Assistant Professor with the CRHR and ETSU College of Public Health.

“By bringing these data together, we aim to equip communities, leaders and organizations with the tools they need to make informed decisions and strengthen livability across the state,” added Huang, who helped develop the dashboard and was also recently appointed to the National Rural Health Association’s Health Equity Council.

From Campbell University:

The Camel Accelerator is a 10-week cohort program designed to help early-stage entrepreneurs gain clarity, understand their customers, and take practical steps to grow their business. Through hands-on virtual workshops, participants will learn how to validate ideas, tell their story, and build for growth.

Each business is paired with a team of Campbell University student interns who provide research, testing, and operational support — helping founders move faster while giving students real-world experience.

This program is completely free for entrepreneurs. We just ask that you commit yourself to the program, work earnestly with your team of student interns, and come to campus for the kickoff and closing celebration. Join us in this inclusive and empowering journey, made possible by the generous support of Campbell University, NC IDEA, and the RTP Foundation.

From Seton Hall University:

Applications are now open for the ImpactNJ: Urban Ventures Collaborative, a new Entrepreneurship Boot Camp and Mentoring Program designed to equip entrepreneurs with the tools and guidance needed to launch their businesses and strengthen underserved communities across northern New Jersey. The program is open to aspiring entrepreneurs and existing business owners who may have limited access to capital, training, or other essential resources.

Set to begin in January 2026, the program is part of the nationally recognized Urban Poverty and Business Initiative (UPBI), a growing network of universities and nonprofit partners worldwide committed to expanding opportunity through entrepreneurship and sustainable community development. As the Northern New Jersey partner for UPBI, Seton Hall is helping to drive inclusive growth across communities, including Newark, Orange, East Orange, Irvington, Paterson, Elizabeth, and Jersey City.

The program offers an 11-month experience that supports both low-income individuals ready to transform their business ideas into viable ventures and entrepreneurs who have already launched a business but face challenges scaling it to the next level. After completing the six-week boot camp, graduates who wish to continue will receive four months of one-on-one mentoring from entrepreneurs, followed by additional consulting support in August from Seton Hall students to help them develop websites, enhance their social media presence, and strengthen their business operations.

“This program is about more than education, it’s about empowerment,” said Susan Scherreik, Director of ImpactNJ: Urban Ventures Collaborative and Founding Director of Seton Hall’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. “What sets this initiative apart is the depth and duration of support we provide. This program offers truly individualized guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs who might otherwise feel overwhelmed by the challenges of their daily lives.”

From Ball State University:

Bette Smith will serve as Director of Ball State University’s Center for Innovation and Collaboration (CIC) effective January 5, 2026.

The three-story facility, scheduled to open in Fall 2026, will be a cornerstone of the University’s work to revitalize The Village district. The CIC will bring together students, faculty, community organizations, and business partners to develop ideas, create prototypes, and support regional workforce and innovation needs.

Since 2013, Smith has served as Principal of Destra Consulting Group, where she works with corporate, nonprofit, and public-sector clients on transformation initiatives, stakeholder engagement, and leadership alignment. Previously, she was the founding Director of the J.P. Morgan Center for Commodities at the University of Colorado Denver Business School, where she established the Center’s academic programs, industry relationships, and portfolio of professional events.

From the University of Connecticut:

An international leader in electron microscopy and scientific instrumentation plans to launch a cutting-edge research center at the University of Connecticut’s Tech Park, positioning Connecticut to become a hub for the global semiconductor industry with on-site manufacturing, technology innovation, and workforce development.

Tescan Group’s recent purchase of FemtoInnovations, a UConn-based start-up in the Tech Park’s Innovation Partnership Building (IPB), launches a collaboration to accelerate research and commercial applications for ultrashort pulsed micro and nanomachining laser technologies being pioneered at the university.

Those technologies are critical in the speed and precision of semiconductor processes used in consumer electronics such as phones and computers, along with hardware security, electron microscopy, spectroscopy, artificial intelligence, scientific instrumentation, and medical technology such as electrodes and heart valves.

The collaboration is the first of its kind in which an industrial partner will locate manufacturing operations at the Tech Park. It sets a model for future partnerships by demonstrating the full potential of tapping into the University’s faculty expertise, state-of-the-art laboratories, and cross-disciplinary capabilities to accelerate discovery and deliver real-world solutions.

From Southern Methodist University:

A landmark commitment from the O’Donnell Foundation will launch a first-of-its-kind interdisciplinary energy program at Southern Methodist University (SMU) and establish a new academic honors fund to recruit, develop, and graduate the next generation of exceptional scholars across high-impact fields.

The value of the historic investment, one of the largest ever granted to SMU, could exceed $60 million once fully funded. SMU will leverage this support to establish a new Energy Science, Innovation and Enterprise program – an interdisciplinary, degree-granting hub that combines business, engineering, and sciences to prepare future leaders for an evolving energy future. Additionally, the commitment will create the O’Donnell Academic Honors Fund. Through this fund, exceptional students in high-impact majors will receive scholarships and a prestigious educational experience, strengthening academic excellence across those disciplines.

Together, the new models will set the standard for academic excellence at SMU, creating centers of excellence and strengthening student quality in areas of high impact and emerging fields. Students will begin taking advantage of these new opportunities in fall 2026, within one year of the initiative’s conception in partnership with the O’Donnell Foundation – a rapid move from vision to impact.

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