The University of Tampa’s Sykes
College of Business has been awarded an unprecedented fourth Title VI-B U.S.
Department of Education grant starting July. The grant is valued at nearly
$390,000, including $170,000 in federal money and matching support over its
two-year life.
The grant, titled "Project Innovate," has three major objectives:
First, it will improve UT faculty and student knowledge and skills regarding
technology entrepreneurship so they can better serve the local technology
community.
Second, the project will create a resource center within TechVillage Tampa
Bay that the area’s young technology start-ups can utilize. A series of
workshops and seminars also will be offered, including a conference on September
27. It will convene technology incubators, entrepreneurship academics, and the
professional community from across Florida and internationally to explore
start-up company issues and to showcase young incubator companies.
Third, the grant will help create an international "soft landing" network of
technology-based incubators that will support each other’s young companies as
they enter their respective markets.
"Much too often," says Dr. Hemant Rustogi, project director, "young
technology companies lack the sophistication and resources of larger companies
that enter international markets. Young companies need help making those first
key connections and accessing affordable resources, and a local incubator that
is part of our network can help provide those. We will do the same for their
young companies."
Dr. Michael Truscott, co-director, said, "So far we have formal soft landing
network agreements in place with programs in Manchester, England; Zurich,
Switzerland; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Monterrey, Mexico, and we will be
exploring additional opportunities over the next year. Representatives from
those programs will attend our September event."
"We are thrilled with this fourth grant," adds Dean Joseph McCann. "This
makes more than $1.5 million in federal and matching funds received by UT for
international business education purposes over the past eight years. This is a
big project and our goal is to actively work with others to succeed, including
collaborating with USF’s Center for Entrepreneurship to give Project Innovate
even more impact."
For more information, contact the Office of Public Information at publicinfo@ut.edu.