Ļć½¶Ö±²„receives Small Business Administration funding to accelerate Vicksburg tech companies
Contact: James Carskadon
VICKSBURG, Miss.āĻć½¶Ö±²„ is accelerating its efforts to support the development and growth of Vicksburg area technology companies with new funding from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Ļć½¶Ö±²„has been named a Stage One winner for the SBAās 2023 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition, providing the university with a $50,000 cash prize to support the launch, growth and scale of research and development-focused small businesses. The prize builds on initiatives Ļć½¶Ö±²„launched in Vicksburg last year with $650,000 in SBA funding and $1 million from the Mississippi Legislature. With the funding last year, Ļć½¶Ö±²„developed a presence at the Sen. Thad Cochran Mississippi Center for Information and Technology, commonly known as MCITy. The Office of Technology Managementās Tasha Bibb supports tech transfer efforts in Vicksburg and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreachās Ryan Gilbrech provides entrepreneurship training and support.
MSUās proposal for the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition focuses on developing entrepreneurial training and resources for STEM-based entrepreneurs in Vicksburg, building on the collaborative environment in MCITy, including personnel with expertise in the research, development and commercialization of STEM-based technologies. The team will also position businesses to compete for federal Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs, which are designed to encourage small businesses to engage in federally funded research and development. The universityās Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, Office of Technology Management and Institute for Systems Engineering Research collaborated on the proposal.
āSmall businesses are vital to growing our stateās technology sector, and I am proud of our Vicksburg teamās work to better position companies to compete for federal awards and grow STEM-based companies,ā said Ļć½¶Ö±²„Vice President for Research and Economic Development Julie Jordan. āInitiatives like this will help us maximize the economic impact of research activity taking place in the Vicksburg area and around the state.ā
MSUās presence at MCITy in Vicksburg includes an office for the Center for Entrepreneurship and Outreach, as well as the Office of Technology Management. As part of a state-funded program, Ļć½¶Ö±²„and fellow Mississippi Research Consortium universities are enhancing technology transfer and entrepreneurial programs related to federal research taking place in Mississippi. Ļć½¶Ö±²„also has a long-standing partnership with the Vicksburg-based U.S. Army Engineering Research and Development Center, which includes the joint creation of the Institute for Systems Engineering Research in 2014.
Last month, Ļć½¶Ö±²„hosted a pitch competition at MCITy, allowing entrepreneurs to qualify for Innovate Mississippiās business accelerator program and awarding prize money.
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