Entrepreneurship

UNC-Chapel Hill Forms Campus Partnership for Commercializing Tech Innovation

• By Rhea Kelly
• 12/11/14

In an effort to promote commercialization of technology at the University of North Carolina, the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School is launching a program for entrepreneurial education and mentoring as well as supporting UNC technology-based companies.

According to a press release, the "Partnership for Entrepreneurial Commercialization of University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Technology" will focus on:

• Educating and mentoring graduate students, postdoctoral associates, faculty innovators and firm founders; and
• Launching, funding and incubating UNC technology-based companies.

A variety of campus organizations have joined the partnership, including:

• Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, which provides research, education and consulting to help increase entrepreneurship, expand research across educational institutions and support North Carolina economic development;
• Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, which offers programs, conferences and competitions for entrepreneurship;
• North Carolina Translational and Clinical Sciences Institute Carolina KickStart, which supports faculty in commercializing biomedical technologies through startup generation;
• Startup accelerator Launch Chapel Hill;
• Student service organization Campus Y; and
• Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, devoted to strengthening UNC's innovation ecosystem.

"By collaborating, we can leverage the assets in the partners' units, expand our scope, use our resources more effectively and build greater awareness of the many services at this university that can help our own inventors and innovators across the campus," said Judith Cone, Kenan Institute interim director and special assistant to the Chancellor for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, in a statement.

According to the university, "Partnership members will provide — at no cost — patent landscape and market evaluation; business development; educational opportunities; entrepreneurial focused events and workshops; and funds to assist inventors in commercializing their technologies."

"UNC is addressing the competitive necessity of becoming more adept and effective at translating our research into commercial products and services that benefit society and create a return on investment," said Cone. "This partnership gives us the ideal platform to use the intellectual capital on our campus to help citizens be better prepared for the jobs of the future, become more entrepreneurial and find solutions for the challenges that await them."