Major grant backs NKU’s next generation of entrepreneurs

Northern Kentucky University is getting a major boost to its entrepreneurship efforts – and its students’ career prospects – thanks to a new grant from the National Science Foundation.

NKU’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship (CIE), in partnership with the Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation’s Kentucky Commercialization Ventures, has been awarded nearly $1 million to expand paid, hands-on opportunities for students while connecting them with regional startups in need of talent.

The $999,495 grant will fund the launch of the NKU INVENT Start-up Internship Program and the KCV INVENT Fellowship, which will combine mentorship, training and real-world experience to strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem. The initiative will also help the Haile College of Business expand experiential learning opportunities for students.

“We are proud to partner with KCV and grateful to the NSF for recognizing the strength of this collaboration,” said Hassan R. HassabElnaby, dean of the Haile College of Business at NKU, a state university of more than 15,000 students in suburban Highland Heights, Kentucky, about seven miles south of downtown Cincinnati.

“Together, we are building more than internships. We are creating bridges between higher education, regional startups and the broader community,” HassabElnaby continued.

INVENTing opportunities for NKU students

The NKU INVENT program involves up to seven weeks of innovation and commercialization training before participants are matched with paid internships at partnering startups. The program also offers stipends and flexible scheduling to allow participants to fully engage in real-world, hands-on experience.

“The NKU INVENT program will prepare students for high-growth careers in some of the most in-demand industries in our region,” said CIE Director Zac Strobl. “Thanks to this grant from the NSF and our partners at KSTC, we’re addressing the commonwealth’s critical workforce gaps in technology startups and the broader nationwide STEM workforce.”

With programs like INVENT, the Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship continues to expand its reach, helping students turn classroom learning into real-world results.

The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship at Northern Kentucky University is all about turning ideas into action. Based in the Haile College of Business, the center helps students develop the skills, mindset and confidence to launch new ventures and drive change in their communities.

Since its launch in 2014, CIE has become the go-to hub for students who want to take ownership of their future through hands-on innovation and entrepreneurship, both in and out of the classroom.

Home to the nationally recognized INKUBATOR and other programs that connect learning with real-world impact, CIE also offers a major and minor in entrepreneurship. Its students don’t just dream big, they deliver results. To date, NKU reports its efforts have resulted in the launch of 35 startups and $7.16 million in outside funding raised.

CIE also serves as a vital talent pipeline for Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.

“The Haile College of Business Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship has a long tradition of equipping students to think creatively and act boldly,” HassabElnaby said. “This funding allows us to expand that impact in powerful new ways across Northern Kentucky and beyond.”

NKU Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship