U News | Northern Kentucky University’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship awarded nearly $1 million
Syracuse University has announced the launch of its new Center for the Creator Economy, the first academic center of its kind on a U.S. college campus.
From Northern Kentucky University:
Northern Kentucky University’s (NKU) Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), in partnership with the Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation’s (KSTC) and its Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV), has been awarded nearly $1 million by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support paid, hands-on opportunities for students while providing top-tier talent for regional startups.
The $999,495 grant will support the launch of the NKU INVENT Start-up Internship Program and a collaborative initiative with KVC, the KCV INVENT fellowship. The programs will build on CIE’s successful start-up internship efforts and are designed to strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem by combining training, mentorships, real-world experiences, and cross-sector collaborations. The grant will also allow the Haile College of Business to expand transformative experiential opportunities for students.
“We are proud to partner with KCV and grateful to the NSF for recognizing the strength of this collaboration,” says Dr. Hassan R. HassabElnaby, Dean of the Haile College of Business. “Together, we are building more than internships. We are creating bridges between higher education, regional start-ups, and the broader community. The Haile College of Business Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship has a long tradition of equipping students to think creatively and act boldly. This funding allows us to expand that impact in powerful new ways across Northern Kentucky and beyond.”
The NKU INVENT program involves up to seven weeks of innovation and commercialization training before participants are matched with paid internships at partnering startups. The program also offers stipends and flexible scheduling to allow participants to fully engage in real-world, hands-on experience.
From the University of Alabama:
The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and The University of Alabama (UA) have partnered in a new initiative: Smart Manufacturing using AI-based Revolutionary Technologies (SMART). The initiative comes after UA, the lead partner, and UAH recently received a planning grant for the program from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Industry University Cooperative Research Center (IUCRC).
SMART aims to help manufacturers incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and digital twins (DT) into their production processes. The SMART center will provide a collaborative environment for addressing common, pre-competitive needs of companies to be determined during the planning meeting. By analyzing technological challenges, research teams will create shareable solutions that will benefit companies and the economy.
At UAH, Dr. Judith Schneider, a Professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering and Director of the UAH Materials Science Program, leads the team of five faculty members from the departments of Industrial & Systems Engineering and Engineering Management, and Computer Science. Leading the UA team is Dr. Hwan-Sik Yoon, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, with members from that department.
In the wake of AI/ML and DT advancements, some industries are flourishing, but much of the manufacturing sector has lagged. While many manufacturers acknowledge the vast potential of these technologies, they lack effective methods to integrate them into their organizational strategy, operations, and processes.
The SMART center will work with companies to collect data from sensors and cameras during representative manufacturing processes and use the information to develop and integrate AI solutions to improve productivity, product quality, factory sustainability, and workforce safety.
From the University of Arkansas:
The University of Arkansas (U of A) has partnered with industry and nonprofit organizations to support the state’s lithium economy.
Co-founded by Erik Pollock, Director of the U of A Stable Isotope Lab and Trace Element and Radiogenic Isotope Lab, the Arkansas Lithium Technology Accelerator (ALTA) is America’s first accelerator program dedicated to lithium innovation and the battery supply chain. The U of A developed the program with the Venture Center and Standard Lithium, with support from the Walton Family Foundation and the Arkansas Economic Development Commission.
The university recently hosted the first ALTA cohort — three start-up companies bringing innovative solutions to Arkansas as the state positions itself as a leader in lithium and energy technology.
“The ALTA cohort companies are on the frontline of the emergent lithium economy,” Pollock said. “It was great to have them on campus. It was a greater pleasure to see my research colleagues ready and willing to engage in everything from geothermal to next generation battery technologies.”
From Florida State University:
Florida State University’s Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship (JMC) has signed a historic memorandum of understanding (MOU) with UNIQLO USA LLC., becoming the first university in the United States to partner with the global retailer.
With representatives in attendance from both JMC and UNIQLO – including members from the clothing brand’s global headquarters in Japan – the MOU was officially signed and celebrated recently at the Jim Moran Building in downtown Tallahassee.
“We’re honored to be the first U.S. university to partner with UNIQLO,” said Susan Fiorito, Dean of the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship. “Together, we are building a bridge between global innovation and entrepreneurial education, giving our students a front-row seat to the practices shaping the future of retail worldwide.”
The strategic partnership provides Florida State University’s Retail Entrepreneurship Program access to UNIQLO’s Management Candidate Program (UMC), preparing the next generation to take on a variety of roles as innovators, talent developers, problem solvers and business leaders. This initiative creates opportunities for students who want hands-on experience to kick-start a career in the retail industry.
From Syracuse University:
Syracuse University has announced the launch of its new Center for the Creator Economy, the first academic center of its kind on a U.S. college campus. A joint venture between the Martin J. Whitman School of Management and the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, the center will position the University at the forefront of research, education, and thought leadership within the rapidly expanding creator-driven economic landscape.
“The creator economy represents one of the most significant cultural and commercial transformations of our time,” says Mike Haynie, Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives and Innovation and Executive Dean of the Whitman School. “With this bold new center, Syracuse is seizing the opportunity to lead—not follow—in preparing students to thrive at the intersection of creativity, commerce, and digital innovation. Today’s college students are more entrepreneurial than ever before, driven to build personal brands that not only generate income but also give them the freedom to be their own boss, set their own hours, and shape their own professional potential.”
The center will be jointly overseen by the Whitman and Newhouse Deans, in collaboration with the Falk College and College of Visual and Performing Arts. Syracuse will conduct a national search for an Executive Director, supported by faculty Co-Directors and a network of faculty fellows spanning the University’s 13 schools and colleges. A Student Engagement Council will offer student-driven insight, while an Industry Advisory Council of creators, media executives, brand managers, and investors will guide the center’s vision.
From Pennsylvania State University:
The entrepreneurship and innovation minor (ENTI) at Penn State has introduced the energy transition cluster, focused on energy innovation.
The new cluster will help prepare undergraduate students to develop an entrepreneurial mindset and apply innovative strategies in the energy space. Students will have the opportunity to learn the basics of earth and mineral sciences, broaden their financial knowledge, and leave the program with a unique combination of skillsets from which to build their careers.
Jesse Reimink, Director of the new cluster, said energy and minerals industries are undergoing a rapid and dramatic shift, and opportunities abound for Penn State graduates. He explained that students do not need to have a background in earth and mineral sciences to earn an ENTI minor in the cluster. Reimink added that students enrolled in business programs can learn the science at an applied level, while maintaining expertise in entrepreneurship. Conversely, students already enrolled in the physical sciences could earn a minor while learning about finances and entrepreneurship.
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