UCI Beall Applied Innovation Wins Award
UCI Beall Applied Innovation Wins SBA Award to Support Inclusive Entrepreneurship
IRVINE, Calif., September 29, 2021– The Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Office of Innovation and Technology has named UC Irvine (UCI) Beall Applied Innovation as a winner in this year’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC).
Winners are chosen based on their proposals for state-of-the-art ideas that inclusively supports entrepreneurs researching and developing STEM-related innovations. As one out of 84 winners – spanning 48 states, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia – Beall Applied Innovation was awarded $50,000 to further advance their work supporting the modern and inclusive American Dream for entrepreneurs.
“This award is a tribute to the effort Beall Applied Innovation has already dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial diversity and inclusion. And, in turn, it is going to enhance our ability to build on that foundation,” said David Tiemeier, Ph.D., managing director, Research Translation Group, Beall Applied Innovation.
According to the SBA, the winners of the GAFC are accelerators and incubators who proposed targeted assistance to STEM/R&D entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups, including women, people of color, rural, and veteran entrepreneurs.
A priority for Beall Applied Innovation, the dynamic platform has already taken steps toward this goal with the creation of the Opportunity, Wayfinding & Networking (OWN) initiative, a set of measurable goals and objectives focused on increasing outreach, engagement and the success of underrepresented groups on campus and within Beall Applied Innovation’s programming; empowering the Inclusive Entrepreneurship Task Force, a group comprised of 25+ campus, business and community leaders who advise Beall Applied Innovation on strategies and engagement of underrepresented people in entrepreneurship; and, supporting UCI’s Black Thriving Initiative, which seeks to make UCI the university of choice for Black faculty, students and staff.
Beall Applied Innovation plans to use the award to enhance their diversity, equity and inclusion programs and also create new ones to increase Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR)/Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant success among Black and Latinx women, conducting workshops and targeting outreach to Black and Latinx women entrepreneurs.
For more information about Beall Applied Innovation, please visit www.innovation.uci.edu.
About UCI Beall Applied Innovation
As a dynamic platform that supports and provides resources to faculty, innovators and entrepreneurs, UCI Beall Applied Innovation plays a critical role in building the modern and inclusive American Dream where UCI innovation meets industry to accelerate discoveries that matter, provide entrepreneurs what they need to succeed and help build a powerful and potent economy.
About the University of California, Irvine: Founded in 1965, UCI is the youngest member of the prestigious Association of American Universities and is ranked among the nation’s top 10 public universities by U.S. News & World Report. The campus has produced three Nobel laureates and is known for its academic achievement, premier research, innovation and anteater mascot. Led by Chancellor Howard Gillman, UCI has more than 36,000 students and offers 224 degree programs. It’s located in one of the world’s safest and most economically vibrant communities and is Orange County’s second-largest employer, contributing $7 billion annually to the local economy and $8 billion statewide. For more on UCI, visit www.uci.edu.
Contact:
Chela Castaño
Strategic Communications Advisor
(909)268-5820
chela.castano@uci.edu
SOURCE: UCI Beall Applied Innovation