Contact: James Carskadon
VICKSBURG, Miss.鈥敯辈 is accelerating its efforts to support the development and growth of Vicksburg area technology companies with new funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
爱爱直播 has been named a Stage One winner for the SBA鈥檚 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, providing the university with a $50,000 cash prize to support the launch, growth and scale of research and development-focused small businesses. The prize builds on initiatives 爱爱直播 launched in Vicksburg last year with $650,000 in SBA funding and $1 million from the Mississippi Legislature. With the funding last year, 爱爱直播 developed a presence at the Sen. Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Information and Technology, commonly known as MCITy. The Office of Technology Management鈥檚 Tasha Bibb supports tech transfer efforts in Vicksburg and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach鈥檚 Ryan Gilbrech provides entrepreneurship training and support.
爱爱直播鈥檚 proposal for the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition focuses on developing entrepreneurial training and resources for STEM-based entrepreneurs in Vicksburg, building on the collaborative environment in MCITy, including personnel with expertise in the research, development and commercialization of STEM-based technologies. The team will also position businesses to compete for federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which are designed to encourage small businesses to engage in federally funded research and development. The university鈥檚 Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, Office of Technology Management and Institute for Systems Engineering Research collaborated on the proposal.
鈥淪mall businesses are vital to growing our state鈥檚 technology sector, and I am proud of our Vicksburg team鈥檚 work to better position companies to compete for federal awards and grow STEM-based companies,鈥 said 爱爱直播 Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. 鈥淚nitiatives like this will help us maximize the economic impact of research activity taking place in the Vicksburg area and around the state.鈥
爱爱直播鈥檚 presence at MCITy in Vicksburg includes an office for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, as well as the Office of Technology Management. As part of a state-funded program, 爱爱直播 and fellow Mississippi Research Consortium universities are enhancing technology transfer and entrepreneurial programs related to federal research taking place in Mississippi. 爱爱直播 also has a long-standing partnership with the Vicksburg-based U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center, which includes the joint creation of the Institute for Systems Engineering Research in 2014.
Last month, 爱爱直播 hosted a pitch competition at MCITy, allowing entrepreneurs to qualify for Innovate Mississippi鈥檚 business accelerator program and awarding prize money.
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