ALASKA Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE)
Abstract
Abstract:This project provides seed funding to the newly formed University of Alaska-based innovation hub called the Center for Innovation, Commercialization, and Entrepreneurship (Center ICE). Center ICE is designed to provide needed services, including business support, shared space and equipment, and mentorship to students, staff, and faculty entrepreneurs in order to facilitate the movement of ideas from the university to the community where they can be further developed. The program is part of ONR???s Alaska Regional Collaboration for Technology Innovation and Commercialization, or ???ARCTIC??? initiative, which is designed to create a pipeline for innovation and deployment of energy technologies in Alaska that are relevant to supporting ONR???s mission in the Pacific Region. Center ICE will partner closely with other key Alaska programs in delivering its services, including the Launch Alaska accelerator, the BusinessEnterprise Institute at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and the Alaska Network for Energy Education and Employment (ANEEE).Funding provided to Center ICE through ONR will support four discrete activities collectively designed to enhance a culture of innovation and entrepreneurialism, identify the technologies and startup companies with the most potential, and deliver them to the marketplace. There include:??? The Launch Pad: The ???Launch Pad??? will be established to provide services and seed grants to support promising technologies and startup companies. Recipients of the services and seed grants will be carefully chosen based product potential and likelihood of successfully achieving commercialization. Seed grant funding will be spent on product iteration and customer discovery, and will range from $3,000 to $60,000, depending on need.??? ICE Maker Space: The ICE Maker Space will be developed to support the focus areas of Center ICE and Launch Pad innovators. The ICE Maker Space will be available to Center ICE and Launch Pad innovators as well as Artic Innovation Competition winners, Launch Alaska cohort members, and UAF staff and faculty interested in collaborating with any of these groups.??? Staff Training: Launch Pad and the ICE Maker Space provide a platform for spinning up technologies and companies. However, Alaska acknowledges a continuing need to strengthen the fundamentals of its innovation and commercialization infrastructure. A portion of grant funding would be committed to dedicating staff to support this effort, and providing training and development opportunities that will help seed a culture of innovation at the University of Alaska.??? STEM support: This program will include outreach to support K-to-12 STEM education. This will be performed in conjunction with the well-established Arctic Innovation Competition (AIC), http://arcticinno.com/. AIC is Alaska???s largest competition of its type, and participation in the K through 12 categories has surged recently. This program will bring together students, innovators, entrepreneurs, and investors with the aim of helping student develop their technologies and ???pitches??? in preparation for the AIC competition. A portion of this funding may also be used to support undergraduate student innovation.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jul 27, 2018
- Source ID
- N000141812725
Entities
People
- Gwen Holdmann
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- University of Alaska Fairbanks