K-State awarded $500K state grant to boost border-to-border innovation, entrepreneurship

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MANHATTAN, Kansas — A newly launched grant program is expected to help Kansas’ six state universities accelerate innovation activities within the world of higher education. At Kansas State University, a $500,000 tranche of funding will mean greater corporate engagement and a new “front door” for connecting businesses to campus-linked resources.

Marshall Stewart, Kansas State University

“Last year, K-State added $2.3 billion into the state’s economy,” said Marshall Stewart, executive vice president for external engagement and chief of staff at Kansas State University. “This grant will allow us to elevate our ongoing efforts to strengthen the university’s approach to technology transfer, commercialization and corporate engagement, and that number will only continue to grow.”

The Kansas Fostering Opportunities for Research, Growth and Entrepreneurship (FORGE) program was launched earlier this year by the Kansas Department of Commerce as a pilot initiative to bridge the gap between academia and industry, ensuring that groundbreaking research within the universities translates into new wealth creation in Kansas.

“FORGE seeks to propel economic growth and solidify Kansas as a national leader in innovation,” the Commerce department said in a statement to Startland News. “The program supports projects that directly boost technology commercialization, strengthen university-industry partnerships, launch faculty and student ventures, and expand industry access to university resources by creating front doors for business at Kansas universities.”

All six universities submitted proposals focused on identifying and strengthening their role within Kansas’ innovation ecosystem, and were awarded grants ranging from $350,000 to $500,000.

A grant for the University of Kansas and KU Innovation Park was announced in August.

ICYMI: $500K state grant bolsters KU’s startup ecosystem; here’s what KU Innovation Park is launching with the funds

Projects at universities across the state ranged from enhancing services for businesses and entrepreneurs, to addressing the lack of support and education for entrepreneurs seeking to grow or sustain their businesses and creating new offices within universities to improve technology transfer and corporate engagement capabilities.

K-State’s funding also will be used to develop virtual resources, including a database and guide for Kansas companies, according to the university.

The project directly supports the Next-Gen K-State strategic plan and the university’s Economic Prosperity Plan, which aims to bring 3,000 new jobs and $3 billion in direct investment to the state of Kansas by 2029, K-State said.

It also aligns with the Kansas Board of Regents’ Building a Future strategic plan for Kansas and the Kansas Department of Commerce’s Kansas Framework for Growth.