Baylor University and three other private universities - Villanova University, the University of Dayton, and the University of Detroit Mercy - have been awarded a three-year, $2.4 million grant from the Kern Family Foundation to develop innovative entrepreneurship programming for engineering students.

"This award signifies a new milestone in the mission to bring entrepreneurial skills and mindset to the entire Baylor campus," said Greg Leman, Ph.D., director of university entrepreneurial initiatives and the Curtis Hankamer chair of entrepreneurship in the department of management and entrepreneurship at Baylor. "The Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative (TEI) began with a partnership between Entrepreneurship and the School of Engineering and Computer Science, and now includes Film and Digital Media and the IP Law program."

The grant will be used to further advance the Helping Hands Dense Network (HHDN), a deep network within the larger Kern Entrepreneurship Network (KEEN) made up of 21 higher education institutions. The HHDN will focus efforts on two initiatives: developing an "intrapreneurship" curriculum and intercollegiate student projects. Baylor and the University of Detroit Mercy will concentrate on the first initiative and develop curriculum that will teach students how to apply the entrepreneurial spirit within existing companies. Villanova and the University of Dayton will focus attention on facilitating intercollegiate projects, allowing students to share resources and experience in new ways. Faculty from each school will offer input on both initiatives.

"The Kern Family Foundation is eager to support this joint initiative of four prestigious universities that desire to work together to change engineering education for the benefit of their engineering students," said Timothy J. Kriewall, Ph.D., program director for the Kern Entrepreneurship Education Network (KEEN). "Their graduates will be effective team players who will be entrepreneurially minded and who will be able to deploy technology to benefit people around the world."

In addition to Leman, Baylor's other principal investigators on the grant are Cynthia C. Fry, assistant dean of the School of Engineering & Computer Science; William M. Jordan, Ph.D., professor and chair, department of mechanical engineering.

"The three-year project will leverage industry ties to help students develop a deeper understanding of intrapreneurship and build a curriculum to enrich student learning," said Leman. "It will provide the students with hard skills and learning opportunities to help them develop soft skills and professional attributes necessary for career success."

Established by Drs. Robert and Patricia Kern in 1998, the Kern Family Foundation seeks to enrich the lives of others by promoting strong pastoral leadership, educational excellence, and high quality, innovative engineering talent. For more information about Baylor's Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative visit www.baylor.edu/tei.

In October 2009, when Baylor, along with a number of community partners, announced plans for the creation of the Central Texas Technology and Research Park (CTTRP), one could only have imagined what a collaborative resource this would be for both the University and community. Flash forward to present day and you'll find the cornerstone of the region's first research park nearing phase 1 completion and truly taking shape.

The Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) is the first facility of a 21-acre discovery complex that will evolve into the CTTRP as tenants populate the park over the next several decades. Originally used as a General Tire manufacturing building, the BRIC facility and surrounding area have been undergoing Phase 1 renovation for the past twenty months. This initial stage of construction and improvement, which is scheduled to be completed this month, includes demolition and renovation of existing walls, roof and window replacement, restoration of the facility's brick veneer, construction of shell interior space and the installation of new parking lots, signage and landscaping. Phase 2A renovation has started and is in the design stage. Final design drawings are scheduled to be complete this month with construction scheduled for completion by January 2013.

"The BRIC will be the cornerstone of the Baylor Discovery Park, which will, in turn, eventually become the cornerstone of the Central Texas Technology Park", said Truell Hyde, Ph.D., vice provost for research at Baylor. "The BRIC is unique in that it will house university research, advanced technical workforce and training, the Innovative Business Accelerator, international and industry partners, symposium space and STEM education exhibits. The BRIC is entering Phase 2A with initial occupancy scheduled for January 2013, making it an exciting time to be at Baylor!"

As part of BRIC, the Innovative Business Accelerator (IBA) will be a one-stop-shop for business assistance, providing several key services, including business planning, financial analysis, inventory control, marketing, and customer service aimed at fostering new venture development, as well as business incubation. Beyond business consulting, the IBA will provide training for entrepreneurs and small businesses, offer executive education workshops and seminars, as well as a regular speaker series. The IBA will also facilitate access to capital for new ventures through organizations such as the Baylor Angel Network, venture capital financing and SBA loan programs.

"We also expect the IBA to serve as a collaboratory," said Jeff Tanner, Ph.D., associate dean for research and faculty development. "We define a collaboratory as a field laboratory created through collaboration with business partners in order to conduct business research," Tanner explained. "The IBA is unique in this regard, because the research will be focused on developing business strategies and capabilities that will then fuel the executive education programs, entrepreneurial inititiaves, and other elements of the BRIC."

With the creation of the BRIC, Baylor and its partners join over 170 other research parks across North America. Leman added, "These successful research parks also demonstrate the power of strong student engagement. It is an extremely potent learning experience for the students and provides affordable assistance for young and emerging ventures. Baylor's Technology Entrepreneurship Initiative (TEI) provides a running start for this activity with a 5 year history of student-engaged commercialization assistance to technology firms around the globe."

For more information about the BRIC, visit www.baylor.edu/bric.

Baylor Entrepreneurship has long been a pioneer in the world of entrepreneurship education. Our success is largely due to the resources provided through our many alumni and educational partnerships. We are so grateful for these relationships and invite you to contact us if you are interested in joining us on our collaborative journeys.

Contact us at Entrepreneurship@baylor.edu.