ISU College of Business establishes new Commercialization Center to help high-tech entrepreneurs

POCATELLO, Idaho (KIFI) – Idaho State University’s College of Business has been awarded a $125,000 Grant by the Small Business Administration’s Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. The award will allow the College of Business to establish the Idaho State College of Business Commercialization Center.

Contracted with Elevate Idaho, a collaborative partnership of nine different agencies across the state, the center aims to help high-tech entrepreneurs pursue Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant opportunities. Services the center will provide include grant writing, market research and technology value proposition development for submitting applications and presentations for Phase I, II and III SBIR/STTR grant opportunities. The center will also offer specialized services to meet the specialized needs of its clients.

The SBIR/STTR grant programs are federally funded grants designed to help bolster the research and development efforts of American small businesses. The program has been a catalyst for innovation and job creation throughout the United States.

Dr. Neil Tocher, Professor and Chair of the Department of Marketing and Management, and Dr. Dan Cravens, Clinical Assistant Professor of Management and Director of Bengal Solutions, will staff the center.

“The opportunity to launch and operate the ISU COB Commercialization Center is awesome on so many levels,” Tocher said. “It fits extremely well with our other outreach in the COB such as Bengal solutions, CEED, the sales center, and SBDC. Providing grant writing services and market research assistance for high potential entrepreneurs will create amazing educational opportunities for our students while helping grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Idaho.”

“A key function of the center is to support Idaho SBIR/STTR grant applications. These grants create a non-dilutive funding source for the research and commercialization efforts of small high-tech businesses,” Cravens said. “We feel that this center will be an important resource for Idaho entrepreneurs seeking to develop new technologies and to create jobs here in the Gem state.”

“Funded in part through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration. All opinions, conclusions, and/or recommendations expressed herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the SBA.”