Support for Our Institutions
Revolutionizing Education: Building Innovation HUBs for HBCUs and MSIs
The Innovation MINDSET Alliance is a 509(a)(2) certified nonprofit organization certified by the US Internal Revenue Service. Our mandate is to develop and support innovation and entrepreneurship centers at HBCUs & MSIs here in the US. To achieve our goal, we work together with a variety of partners to bring resources and support to institutions to support research, identify contracting opportunities, and foster environments for commercialization, both for students & faculty and for the institution & local businesses. We do not erase or replace existing centers an institution may have – rather, our goal is to establish a baseline upon which new or existing centers can leverage industry and technology sector support to advance their goals.
Innovation HUBs will define common guidelines for institutions across industry and technology sectors, with defined standards including training, workforce development, and employment pipelines. Partners can know that institutions in the Alliance provide an understood set of training and offerings to enable students (and faculty), and communities can confidently engage with institutions knowing what is offered.
No matter which type of Innovation HUB is the best fit for an HBCU or MSI, our team will ensure that each center will be a part of the national network of HUBs. Each HUB will have its own role to play. Each HUB will have its own content to share. And each HUB will have an equal opportunity to learn from others in the network and advance their strategic goals to extend reach beyond their Capability Statement.
Education Centers
These HUBs start by teaching the fundamental principles of innovation and acceleration on campus & across the region. They establish a foundation for the language and processes students and faculty can use to create new solutions and consider bringing them to market. These centers are ideal for Liberal Arts and vocational schools that may not have strong industry or technology programs.
Industry Centers
These HUBs are ideal for institutions with strong research and/or academic programs supporting a key market or sector. Agriculture, engineering, and healthcare are prime examples where a supporting center can focus the capabilities of the institution and foster an environment for students, faculty, and local businesses to incubate & accelerate innovative solutions.
Technology Centers
These HUBs are ideal for institutions with strong research and/or academic programs supporting a key technology sector. Artificial intelligence, robotics, and gaming simulations are examples where an institution’s core competencies can be leveraged to support students, faculty, and local businesses to build & launch transformative solutions.
Centers of Excellence
Institutions with strong academic programs in industry and/or technology sectors will be the foundation for national Centers of Excellence. These HUBs are ideal for accelerating solutions and new businesses to launch and scale research & products within a particular industry or technology sector.
Where do we begin?
Innovation HUBs will operate with individual chapters (HUBs) across the country. Deployment models will include an overlay option for institutions with existing innovation / entrepreneurship centers, modernization projects where existing centers require additional updates, and the development of new centers.
Our journey with an institution begins with a thorough assessment by our team to ascertain the strengths and gaps for a HUB to be deployed. This will include learning more about its:
- Academic & research programs and faculty
- Innovation & entrepreneurship capabilities
- Industry & technology capacity
- Partners and other resources
With this knowledge, we determine a plan for transforming the institution in support of the HUB, including providing our:
- Learning & development platforms
- Project management control & reporting
- Financial literacy & empowerment training
- Workforce development training modules
Our team of experts in education and innovation stands ready to assist each institution on its transformational journey.
The Journey Begins Here