May 14, 2021 鈥 猎鹰体育直播 receives a $750,000 grant from the Economic Development Administration鈥檚 (EDA) Scaling Pandemic Resilience Through Innovation and Technology (SPRINT) Challenge. The grant will support 猎鹰体育直播鈥檚 Collaborative for Economic Engagement, a one-stop innovation hub for businesses and entrepreneurs to accelerate economic growth and recovery throughout the region.
猎鹰体育直播 launched the Collaborative in Covington's Innovation Alley space last fall to leverage regional agencies and programs to provide the tools that entrepreneurs need to thrive in the post-COVID world. The Collaborative serves as a front door for entrepreneurial engagement and outreach, counseling and mentorship, as well as the university's expertise in data analytics, health, logistics and entrepreneurial innovation.
鈥淭his is an historic milestone not just for 猎鹰体育直播 but small businesses and startups alike,鈥 said 猎鹰体育直播 President Ashish Vaidya. 鈥溋杂ヌ逵辈 offers expertise and access to resources that can build and sustain unique partnerships in the region. This funding further expands the Collaborative鈥檚 ability to create jobs and value and to strengthen community connections.鈥
The federal funding advances the Collaborative鈥檚 goal of building the regional economy and competitiveness through scalable startups and overall entrepreneurial capacity. The additional funding will also help 猎鹰体育直播 diversify the regional economy by developing a novel support model for rural and underserved entrepreneurs.
鈥淲e created the Collaborative to overcome the barriers that inhibit innovation, entrepreneurship, and job creation in northern Kentucky,鈥 said Dr. Valerie Hardcastle, vice president for Health Innovation at 猎鹰体育直播. 鈥溋杂ヌ逵辈 is equipping entrepreneurs with the knowledge and resources needed to enter markets and scale businesses at all levels. We look forward to amplifying the opportunities and services in the region.鈥
In addition to the Collaborative, the grant will support many ventures on 猎鹰体育直播鈥檚 campus鈥攊ncluding the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship programs, the Entrepreneurship Through Acquisition Program, SoCap Accelerate and the Center for Economic Analysis and Development鈥攁long with community collaborators Aviatra Accelerators, Square1 and MORTAR.
The Collaborative will be open and available for community members to visit this fall. To learn more about how 猎鹰体育直播 is lifting the region鈥檚 economic development, visit its website. For more information, visit EDA鈥檚 SPRINT Challenge .
猎鹰体育直播 猎鹰体育直播:聽Founded in 1968, 猎鹰体育直播 is an entrepreneurial state university of over 16,000 students served by more than 2,000 faculty and staff on a thriving suburban campus nestled between Highland Heights, Kentucky and bustling downtown Cincinnati. We are a regionally engaged university committed to empowering our students to have fulfilling careers and meaningful lives. While we are one of the fastest-growing universities in Kentucky, our professors still know our students' names. For聽more information, visit聽.
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Atley Smedley
smedleyj1@nku.edu
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