From Campus to Community: UTC Links Innovation Across Spheres

 
 

From Campus to Community: UTC Links Innovation Across Spheres

Panelists from UTC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) explain how the center inspires commercialization and invention across Chattanooga

October 8, 2021

Innovation and entrepreneurship belong in educational spaces just as much as the professional world. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) believes in developing foundational, cross-disciplinary entrepreneurship skill sets for all of its students, faculty, and staff. As part of the Entrepreneurship Program, the Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE) equips undergraduates, graduate student inventors, professors, and the like with the skills and tools necessary to commercialize research and take inventions to market. 

The program’s robust resources and wealth of experience extends beyond the university’s walls. UTC’s own Tom Lyons, Libby Santin and Jennifer Skjellum share about the CIE’s approach to spreading entrepreneurship across the campus and engaging with the Chattanooga Entrepreneurial Ecosystem at large. 

THE UTC ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM & MISSION

The program has experienced rapid growth in the years since it existed solely as a part of the business major. In the spirit of accessibility, the program has added a minor in entrepreneurship, formed the CIE, and is pursuing general education status for their introductory course which is now successfully required for several majors beginning this Fall. 

UTC has also granted two new positions within entrepreneurship and innovation: Commercialization Counselor, held by Jennifer Skjellum, and an Entrepreneur-in-Residence, held by former CO.LAB CEO Mike Bradshaw. 

Through all of this exciting progress, Tom says they must remain on mission. The most recent research in entrepreneurship shows a correlation between successful entrepreneurship and a mastery of skills. The program heavily emphasizes skill development through a curriculum that builds knowledge of skills, a space to practice those skills, and a feedback loop to refine them.

Tom does not view the program as a simple means to an end for starting a business. Instead, it emphasizes the skills necessary to think and act like an entrepreneur within an existing organization. An entrepreneur must work through uncertainty which is necessary in our VUCA (volatile, uncertain, chaotic, and ambiguous) world to be an effective entrepreneur and leader. 

THE CIE’S CAPABILITIES

Libby, CIE Director, began in 2018 as the first director, explaining how only a few years ago the CIE had no physical space. They existed virtually, building their brand and engaging with students through online events and workshops. In 2020, they were finally able to move into the James R. Mapp Building, occupying 5,700 sq ft of collaboration space, mentor space, various rooms for classes and meetings, and the Hatch It! Lab, a maker space that Libby is particularly fond of. 

The physical space allows students to collaborate, learn, and prototype together. The building is open to any student, faculty, or staff who needs support. Recently, the space has been used by different majors to incorporate “making projects” into their courses. A computer science professor teaching a course on biometrics had his students use the lab to actually make a working fingerprint reader connected to the national fingerprint database. 

CIE STUDENT, FACULTY, & COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

The Hatch It! Lab finds itself at the center of community as a maker space. The CIE hosts events such as Lunch and Learns, a time for local entrepreneurs to share insights with students. Other events include the 1 Million Cups meetings, a weekly meetup of entrepreneurs from the community, and semesterly pitch competitions. The competitions receive support from the community by way of sponsorships, judging, mentoring, and feedback, simultaneously assisting students and engaging the community.

The CIE engages professors towards commercialization of research through workshops—done in collaboration with Bridge Innovate—that challenges faculty to think outside the lab. The center also helps by sourcing interaction from the community. Jennifer introduces local mentors, potential partners, and other experts to help engineer greater impact beyond grants and buzz.

The CIE also adds value back into the community. Tom himself is involved in an organization called the Chattanooga Smart Community Collaborative, made up of folks from UTC, EPB, the Enterprise Center, CO.LAB, Siskin, and Erlanger who see it as their responsibility to work together to improve the quality of life of Chattanoogans. The group brings entrepreneurship and business to discussions on mobility, access to broadband, housing, and other community problems. 

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Taking an innovation to market is a challenge on its own, especially without the help of resources like the Hatch It! Lab. Bridge Innovate exists to create new opportunities for growth. We offer a breadth of consulting experience and a full suite of virtual and physical studio offerings with hybrid capabilities for limitless collaboration. Choose from our digital, work, or event studios to accelerate your innovation work and get plugged into the Chattanooga innovation community. 

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