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30 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 2018 2018 | DOING BUSINESS IN CONNECTICUT | 30 SPONSOR REPORT Contributing writers: Eli Freund, Claire Hall & Jessica McBride. In the last year, the University of Connecticut (UConn) has taken major steps forward to facilitate entrepreneurship across the University. Key to this forward momentum is the coordination of entrepreneurial initiatives under the new Provost, Craig H. Kennedy. Important elements include having the Office of the Vice President for Research reporting to the Provost; the creation of the Peter J. Werth Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation stemming from Werth's transformative $22.5M gift in 2017; and the maturation of multiple programs across the University. "Our commitment to entrepreneurship creates myriad opportunities for faculty, students, alumni, and staff to use emerging innovations across disciplines to help fuel economic growth and technological advancement," says Provost Kennedy. UConn Research: Innovating Together Working closely with other groups at UConn and beyond, the Office of the Vice President for Research, boasting a research enterprise of over $260 million annually, provides programs and develops initiatives to assure that UConn researchers and their innovations have an impact for the state's citizens and businesses. "Connecticut has made a significant investment in UConn, and the research enterprise is a critically important part of making sure this investment pays off," says Vice President for Research at UConn and UConn Health, Radenka Maric. "Research helps drive Connecticut's innovation economy by forging important partnerships, commercializing life-saving technologies, supporting entrepreneurship and preparing talented graduates to work for companies that develop innovative products." The Innovation Partnership Building (IPB) at the UConn Tech Park is ground zero for industry and academic innovation. With a grand opening planned in June 2018, the IPB serves as more than Annabelle Rodriguez-Oquendo, professor of cell biology at UConn's School of Medicine, is the co-founder of Lipid Genomics, a startup developing personalized medicine diagnostics and therapeutics. A CATALYST FOR INNOVATION, TECHNOLOGY ADVANCEMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH IN CONNECTICUT AND BEYOND | PETER MORENUS / UCONN PHOTO |