Northern Kentucky University’s Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship has been awarded nearly $1 million from the National Science Foundation to support paid, hands-on opportunities for students while supplying talent to regional startups.
The grant was awarded in collaboration with the Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation’s Kentucky Commercialization Ventures. The $999,495 funding will support the launch of two initiatives: the NKU INVENT Startup Internship Program and the KCV INVENT Fellowship.
Both initiatives aim to strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem through training, mentorship and real-world experience.
The funding will also support the Haile College of Business in expanding experiential learning opportunities for students. Participants will complete up to seven weeks of innovation and commercialization training before being matched with paid internships at startups. The program includes stipends and flexible scheduling to encourage student participation.
NKU leaders said the program is designed to prepare students for careers in high-growth industries while addressing workforce needs in technology and STEM fields.
“The NKU INVENT program will prepare students for high-growth careers in some of the most in-demand industries in our region,” CIE Director Zac Strobl said in a news release. “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.”
The Center for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, part of NKU’s Haile College of Business, manages the INKUBATOR and other initiatives that support entrepreneurial education and economic growth in the Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky area.