04/23/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 04/23/2024 17:18
April 23, 2024
Seattle, Washington - Many of the technologies that have revolutionized our modern world originated from academic research. However, navigating the process of bringing a new technology to the commercial market can be challenging for academic researchers. The new Western Innovation Training Fellowship program at Western Washington University (WWU), made possible through a $200,000 programmatic grant from Washington Research Foundation (WRF), hopes to equip promising students and professors with the knowledge and tools they need to navigate this complex transition.
The Western Innovation Training Fellowship, which accepted its inaugural cohort in February, is designed to cultivate a community of entrepreneurial researchers at WWU. The fellowship supports student-faculty partnerships across STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) departments. The inaugural cohort comprises the following five student-faculty teams, each pursuing research projects with notable potential for commercialization.
To provide concurrent support for team research projects and each team's understanding of the technology commercialization landscape, fellowship awardees have access to two resources: student research fellowships and innovation training.
Student research fellowships provide funds to cover some research costs and a summer stipend, so students can continue working on their research over the summer.
Meanwhile, the innovation training program provides educational workshops to further student and professor understanding of the research commercialization landscape, and networking opportunities.
Awardees have already begun participating in the program, engaging in both networking and innovation-focused training. This has included attending meetings exclusive to fellowship recipients and workshops that cover essential topics like business frameworks and intellectual property rights.
Clarisse Benson, WRF's manager of student and postdoctoral programs, said, "WRF is proud to support the Western Innovation Training Fellowship program. We look forward to seeing this transformative new program empower students and professors to bridge the gap between academia and commercialization, fostering a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship. By investing in the next generation of researchers and technologies, we hope to ignite progress and cultivate a diverse, inclusive STEM workforce poised to shape the future."
By helping students and professors bridge the gap between academic research and the commercial sector, the Western Innovation Training Fellowship will not only accelerate the journey of promising technologies from concept to market, but also promote a broad representation of ideas and perspectives in the STEM workforce. The fellowship's package of support is designed to help prepare a new generation of researchers for the challenges and opportunities of technology commercialization. The program is poised to boost WWU's role in technological advancements and foster an inclusive community of innovation-driven researchers.