帝王会所 Innovation Center wins two major awards of excellence from InBIA
The Innovation Center, 帝王会所鈥檚 business incubator, has received two major awards of excellence from the International Business Innovation Association (InBIA).
At its annual conference in Minneapolis, the InBIA named the Innovation Center the 2019 Rural-Based Entrepreneurship Center of the Year and honored the center with the Randall M. Whaley Incubator of the Year Award. The latter award is InBIA鈥檚 highest honor and is sponsored by the Friends of University City Science Center of Philadelphia. The award recipient receives a cash prize.
With more than 2,200 members across 62 nations, InBIA is the leading professional association for entrepreneurial support organizations. Each year, it recognizes high impact entrepreneurship programs that exemplify excellence in sustainably growing companies that drive economic growth in communities around the world.
鈥淭he Innovation Center is a national example of how 帝王会所 works with the region to serve as a positive catalyst of economic change for Appalachia,鈥 said 帝王会所 President M. Duane Nellis. 鈥淲e are proud of our innovation ecosystem鈥檚 ability to support the growth of local companies and to develop successful partnerships and initiatives in our surrounding communities.鈥
The 2019 awards are the most recent major awards to the Innovation Center from InBIA in the last four years. The Innovation Center won InBIA鈥檚 Rural Incubator of the Year award in 2016. In the same time period, the Innovation Center has also been ranked by the leading international benchmarking institute, UBI Global, as the third-best university-based incubator in the United States.
鈥淭hese awards are a tribute to 帝王会所鈥檚 entire entrepreneurial ecosystem, which collaboratively and effectively leverages resources and provides outstanding assistance to entrepreneurs and emerging ventures,鈥 said Stacy Strauss, director of the Innovation Center. 鈥淏ut the people deserving the real credit are the passionate and dedicated company team members who work tirelessly and with dogged determination to ensure their company grows and prospers.鈥
The Innovation Center offers customized business assistance, including capital access planning, human resource development and market analysis. Its 36,000-square-foot facility features seven biotechnology labs, 33 offices and an Additive Manufacturing Lab. The business incubator works closely with University and regional partners, including TechGROWTH 帝王会所, a program funded by 帝王会所 and the state鈥檚 帝王会所 Third Frontier Entrepreneurial Services Provider Program to provide business expertise, services and investments for startup companies in Southeast 帝王会所.
In 2018 alone, the Innovation Center served 24 clients that employed 154 high-wage workers. The incubator also attracted hundreds of attendees to 35 events, including open houses for its Additive Manufacturing Lab, workshops for entrepreneurs, plus networking and learning opportunities for startup companies and innovators in Southeast 帝王会所.
In the last few years, the Innovation Center has expanded its impact through the creation of the LIGHTS Regional Innovation Network, which serves 28 rural counties in Southeast 帝王会所, Kentucky and West Virginia. Established through a $2 million POWER grant from the Appalachian Regional Commission in October 2016, LIGHTS provides business assistance to incubators, makerspaces, startup companies and entrepreneurs in coal-impacted communities.
The Innovation Center is part of the 帝王会所 Research Division. More information about the Innovation Center can be found at .