GREENSBORO — North Carolina A&T is hoping to help grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem for the Triad. The university recently received a $50,000 award in the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, led by the Center of Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CEE&I). Along with UNC Greensboro, Guilford College, and the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, NC A&T is seeking to form the Greensboro Research Translation Collective to move the region towards stronger entrepreneurial support and more effective development.
“We’re really trying to create a regional energy and culture around innovation,” explains Sean G.L. Johnson, the director of CEE&I. “Let’s begin to think about innovation at the beginning of the continuum so that the tech translation is a lot smoother.”
Room to Grow
The growth of the Triad ecosystem is a priority for Johnson and his partners, and they know have some work to do to catch up with other parts of the state.
https://maritdigital.com/2024/05/07/nc-represents-in-sbas-2024-growth-accelerator-competition/
"NC Innovation has come out and said that of all the areas in North Carolina, the Triad, in particular, has the greatest gap between research being done and tech translation," Johnson says.
To be clear, A&T has a lot going on, including 60+ patents, with more than a dozen pending, plus 4 Centers for Excellence and a recent NC Innovation grant for their Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering. But there is lots of room to grow. The Triangle and its well-established entrepreneurial ecosystem, supported by its major research institutions, are a clear model of what's possible.
For Johnson and the CEE&I, this $50,000 win means they can begin to deliver programs to support A&T faculty and their potential start-up ideas. The director's first step will be an "innovators incubator" where faculty can learn what it means to start and grow a company. Johnson is also hoping to host an innovator's panel this fall with guests including technology transfer experts and faculty from across the UNC System with past success in commercialization.
"Our value proposition to the university and our stakeholders is helping individuals who are bold enough to pursue solutions to large challenges through skills development and marshaling resources necessary to start scale and sustain ventures," Johnson tells me. "This money will be useful for anything that is going to move our vision forward of helping to start scale and sustain businesses."
https://maritdigital.com/2024/04/12/ncinnovation-kicks-off-grant-selection-for-high-value-university-research/
Next Phase
As a winner of the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, which is coordinated through the U.S. Small Business Association, the Greensboro Research Translation Collective (GRTC) is now eligible to apply for Stage Two. This second phase of the program opens next month and prizes between $50,000 and $150,000 are anticipated to be announced in September.
For Stage Two, Johnson will be expanding projects to work with GRTC partner, the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, a step that he calls a “natural fit.” The collective is also working on its application for an NSF Accelerating Research Translation (ART) grant this September, which awards up to $6 million in funding over 4 years.
Johnson is also enthusiastic to see NCInnovation bring investment to bridge the gaps between academia and industry. He views the investment in businesses confronting the ‘Valley of Death’ funding gap as a significant victory for innovators and the state.
“It’s a significant vote of confidence in the research that’s being done in North Carolina and the potential for startups to come out of our state.”
