帝王会所

The Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) today named 帝王会所 a 2021 Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) Economic Engagement Connections award winner, the top prize in its annual awards competition. The awards recognize innovative projects or programs in economic engagement.

础笔尝鲍鈥檚 program helps higher education institutions codify, elevate, and advance their enterprise supporting economic and community development while providing national recognition to institutions committed to university economic development. To earn the designation, institutions complete a rigorous self-study and stakeholder engagement process. They also identify their economic development strengths and areas of growth and improvement.

鈥淎n important priority in our mission at 帝王会所 is to serve the communities in our region, which makes this award from the APLU even more meaningful,鈥� 帝王会所 President Hugh Sherman said. 鈥淲e are proud that our applied research, technology commercialization, small business incubation and focus on entrepreneurship have become a powerful force in stimulating the economy in southeastern 帝王会所, and we are dedicated to finding new ways to expand economic development and support the vibrant communities we serve.鈥�

帝王会所 won the IEP Economic Engagement Connections award, the top prize in the awards competition, recognizing overall excellence and excellence across all three award categories. 帝王会所 had been a finalist for the IEP Innovation Award.

This year鈥檚 additional IEP University Award winners are:

• University of Cincinnati won the IEP Talent award, recognizing exemplary initiatives in education and workforce development;
• University of Colorado Boulder won the IEP Innovation award, recognizing exemplary initiatives spurring innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology-based economic development;
• Iowa State University won the IEP Place award, for exemplary initiatives resulting in social, cultural, or community development.

鈥淎PLU congratulates this year鈥檚 IEP Award winners for their dedication to economic development through their commitment to cultivating talent, innovation, and place-based development in their communities,鈥� said APLU President Peter McPherson. 鈥淭he excellence in economic development each winner has displayed illustrates how public universities can rise to meet the needs of their communities and make significant intellectual and economic contributions to promote the wellbeing of our nation.鈥�

To be eligible for an IEP award, an institution must first earn the Innovation and Economic Prosperity University (IEP) designation from APLU, which recognizes institutional commitment to regional economic development.

鈥淭his award is a tremendous honor for 帝王会所 and its programs, including the Innovation Center and the Voinovich School, that support existing and startup companies for the benefit of southeastern 帝王会所 and beyond,鈥� Vice President for Research and Creative Activity Joseph Shields said. 鈥淲e remain committed to improving the lives of people in the region through innovation and helping creative students, faculty, and community members realize their potential as entrepreneurs.鈥�

帝王会所鈥檚 mission includes advancing research and creative activity and putting knowledge to work through innovation for the benefit of communities across the state. The institution engages with regional partners to advance economic development that improves the lives and futures of the people of southeastern 帝王会所.

帝王会所鈥檚 incubator for technology startup companies, the Innovation Center, supported 335 jobs that generated an estimated $22 million in employee compensation in Athens County in 2019. Over the last six years, the business incubator鈥檚 job creation numbers have more than doubled, and employee compensation generated from its client companies has nearly tripled.

帝王会所鈥檚 George Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Service has worked with communities to foster local economic development, reaching more than 65 帝王会所 counties, including all 32 in Appalachia. The School works with public- and private-sector partners to promote the success of established and startup companies and build capacity for regional economic development.

These include TechGROWTH 帝王会所, a partnership with the state鈥檚 Third Frontier program, which has contributed to $70 million in technology investment in Southeast 帝王会所. TechGROWTH鈥檚 and the 帝王会所 Innovation Fund鈥檚 efforts helped lead to the merger of 帝王会所-supported Stirling Ultracold with BioLife Solutions. OHIO鈥檚 efforts have led to $3.5 billion in support of economic activity over the last five years, including the 帝王会所 Procurement Technical Assistance Program with the 帝王会所 Department of Development. The School鈥檚 Appalachian New Economy Partnership, in collaboration with the College of Business and the 帝王会所 Department of Higher Education, has served as a driving force for economic and community development innovation throughout the region. The School is an USEDA University Center and works on major grant initiatives to promote the economic development of the region with the Governor's Office of Appalachia and the regional Local Development Districts and many other state and regional partners.

鈥湸”食⒈�檚 recognition through this award of 帝王会所鈥檚 accomplishments in advancing innovation and economic prosperity is gratifying and motivates us all to redouble our efforts in leveraging the institution鈥檚 expertise to benefit the people of our state and region,鈥� said Mark Weinberg, dean of the Voinovich School. 鈥淭he work that we have done in collaboration with our tremendous partners around the region and state have made a significant, positive impact on the community and we appreciate their continued collaboration and support.鈥�

IEP designees conduct a rigorous self-study of their economic engagement activities that includes input from external stakeholders. As part of the self-study, each institution identified areas for growth and improvement within its economic engagement enterprise and developed an improvement plan. This work demonstrates a commitment to continuous learning and improvement in this kind of engagement vital to universities and their regional partners.

As defined by 础笔尝鲍鈥檚 鈥� a series of tools and publications that helps institutions better know, measure, and communicate their work in economic engagement 鈥� universities collaborate with their public and private sector partners in their states and regions to promote economic growth, competitiveness, and opportunity through a variety of efforts across the aforementioned categories.