The Development Path for Institutional Innovation & Entrepreneurship (from left to right)

Educate – Teach the language and methodology of innovation so there is a mutually shared understanding. Students, faculty, and local businesses come together to learn concepts and business models to foster higher levels of innovation. Innovation HUBs will Teach an Education MINDSET.

Innovate – Offer an incubation ecosystem with competitions, skills training, networking opportunities, workshops, boot camps, and access to the latest technologies to increase opportunities for researchers to grow and connect with communities. Innovation HUBs will Develop an Innovation MINDSET.

Accelerate – Provide a seamless integration for students and local business owners to collaborate and share ideas, successes, and lessons learned. Solutions are then brought to the market and scaled through access to partners and capital. Innovation HUBs will Launch an Acceleration MINDSET.

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The Development Path for Institutional Research & Development (from bottom to top)

Accountability – Address the responsibility institutions have when taking grants and contracts for research from Federal and corporate partners – i.e., living up to the trust that is inherently associated with extramural funding. We must also increase the number of students and members of the workforce pipeline who will work on and learn from the innovation in these institutions, helping them fill the growing number of open technical positions in the industry.

Capacity – Grow the number of Principal Investigators (PIs) and research faculty who can apply and win grants. We must focus on the innovation necessary while not being bogged down by additional / competing responsibilities. This requires driving long-reaching endeavors to expand the most critical resources through translational innovation.

Capability – Improve the technology, equipment, development, and facilities necessary to support innovators. Our institutions must compete effectively for grants, funding, contracts, and procurement opportunities from Municipal partners. Capability is the Level that is evaluated and reviewed by the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education®, and investments into this category improve an institution’s ability to Leverage Federal Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs to make intellectual property available for translational research and commercialization. IMA will also leverage the NASA Technology Transfer Program.

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Liberal Arts-Led – This type of institution is likely a liberal arts or other type of school (e.g., divinity school, community college, vocational school). It does not have an industry or technology research program, nor does it have a notable business program. This is the ideal school to connect with another in the region for an innovation & entrepreneurship program.

Research-Led – This type of institution has a strong industry or technology-led research program that drives graduate & doctoral degrees. However, it may not have a strong business program to provide enough of a compliment for students to consider turning research & innovation into new businesses.

Entrepreneur-Led – This type of institution has a strong business program that advocates for entrepreneurship. However, with poor technical or research capacity & capability, the resulting solutions and businesses do not typically bend toward disruption in the industry.

Commercialization Mix – This type of institution has a fantastic mix of strong research capacity & capability, along with an impressive business program that promotes innovation. Students at these schools benefit from the combination, and this is an institution that is thoroughly prepared to maximize commercialization opportunities.

NOTE – Most of the Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), Hispanic Institutions (HIs as opposed to Hispanic Serving Institutions / HSIs), and other MSIs typically fall into the Liberal Arts-Led categories.