Issue link: https://nebusinessmedia.uberflip.com/i/518124
32 Doing Business in Connecticut | 2015 SPONSORED REPORT students are utilizing the talent and research they developed at UConn to translate ideas into transformative technologies," says Vice President for Research Jeff Seemann. "We want this to occur with increasing frequency and more rapid success, and are creating new programs to make that happen." Toward that end, UConn was recently selected as a National Science Foundation ICorps Site, to foster en- trepreneurship and commercialization by catalyzing the efforts of student, faculty, and business teams in technol- ogy transfer and innovation. The OVPR also works with indus- try to forge relationships that can create technologies through industry collaboration. In December, the Uni- versity announced a new stem cell research collaboration with Connect- icut-based Alexion Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in the field of rare disease. The work is focused on the discovery and testing of therapeutic candidates to treat rare and disabling disorders for which there are currently no effec- tive treatments. Entrepreneurship Innovation is not just a matter of solving technical problems, but of effectively identifying problems that need to be solved. If invention is the seed of economic growth, busi- ness know-how is the soil in which it grows, which is why a key component of UConn's innovation ecosystem involves the close cooperation of the School of Business. Housed at the main campus at Storrs and at the Graduate Business Learning Center in Hartford, the School of Business is home to more than 100 faculty members and offers an impressive collection of business resources to students, faculty, indus- try partners and start-ups. A great example is the Connecticut Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation (CCEI). Recently transformed to em- phasize the nexus of technology and innovation, CCEI provides value-added services to entrepreneurs, including early-stage funding via venture- creation grants, intellectual property development, professional mentors and consultants. "There is a strong belief that students and faculty who have the opportunity to gain practical experi- ence in entrepreneurship and innova- tion will be more successful in their careers, either as innovative employ- ees or self-employed entrepreneurs," says Tim Folta, the Thomas and Bette Wolff Family Chair of Strategic Entre- preneurship who leads CCEI. CCEI is complemented by addi- tional programs that support start-up opportunities, including: • Innovation Quest, an annual student competition that provides an intensive business coaching experience with the winners securing cash prizes and introductions to venture capitalists. • Connecticut Small Business Development Center, which provides no-cost consulting services to both prospective and An artist's rendering of the future Innovation Partnership Building. > Continued from previous page Jaclyn Mazzerella '14 (ENG) works on a novel heart valve replacement for start-up company Dura Biotech, a member of the UConn Technology Incubation Program.