Kansas State University has won a national award for its work in encouraging entrepreneurship and economic development in the Sunflower State.
On Nov. 12, the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities (APLU) presented K-State with an Innovation & Economic Prosperity (IEP) University Award for innovation. It was part of the APLU’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
“Building the economic prosperity of Kansas has always been a priority at K-State, and we are pioneering efforts to understand what it means to be a 21st-century land-grant university,” said Richard Myers, president of Kansas State University.
By collaborating with civic and private-sector groups, the university’s Knowledge Based Economic Development program has helped attract hundreds of knowledge-based businesses to area.
“We have built many partnerships in Manhattan and around the state, and K-State research and education programs add value to the people and the industries in the state,” said Pete Dorhout, K-State’s vice president for research. “We have more than 480 active collaborations with companies, plus groups facilitating the business development that creates jobs in Kansas.”
K-State was praised for its Center for the Advancement of Entrepreneurship, which delivers mentoring, training and funding to the state’s entrepreneurs. In the last year alone, the center approved more than $256,000 in grants.
The APLU also cited K-State’s Institute for Commercialization, which encourages technology-transfer partnerships between the school and the private sector. In the past five years, it has generated almost $15 million in royalties, company equity and funded research.
One of the center’s partnerships is with TechAccel, a KC-based organization that invests in ag and animal health technology – including research developed at K-State – and works to bring it to market.
“We have developed a culture of engagement at K-State that starts with our faculty, staff and students, all of whom are working to ensure that our research makes it to the marketplace to help improve the lives of our citizens,” Dorhout said.
