Grand Valley State University

1 Campus Drive, Allendale, MI 49401-9401 • 616-331-5000

http://www.gvsu.edu

Incubators

Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) and

Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone

http://www.gvsu.edu/marec/

The Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) is the first fully integrated demonstration facility for distributed generation of electricity using alternative and renewable energy technologies in the United States. This energy Center is also a venture that will create and attract new business to the region. MAREC is positioned to establish West Michigan as a leader in the application of alternative energy technologies - technologies that can be widely employed globally. In addition, MAREC ensures that Grand Valley State University will be a leader in developing interdisciplinary alternative energy education and product development programs.

MAREC is the culmination of a cooperative effort involving several organizations. The foresight, leadership, and support provided by these organizations have made it possible to pursue a vision with global implications for the development of alternative and renewable energy sources. The partner organizations are:

Grand Valley State University
Michigan Public Service Commission
City of Muskegon
Muskegon Area First
Muskegon Area Chamber of Commerce
Muskegon Area Community Foundation
Muskegon Community College
Michigan Economic Development Corporation

New Start Up Companies: The Muskegon Lakeshore SmartZone is intended to promote and attract high technology business development in Muskegon and the region with MAREC as its hub. MAREC has 4,000-square-feet of space devoted to incubating businesses that will focus on innovative development in advanced energy efficiency technologies that are expected to be a catalyst for economic development and job growth in the area.

West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative

http://www.wmsti.org/

Located in GVSU’s new $60 million Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences, the West Michigan Science & Technology Initiative (WMSTI) dedicates time to helping science and technology entrepreneurs commercialize their discoveries. The partnership was formed in 2003 as a partnership between the Right Place, Inc., Van Andel Research Institute, Grand Valley State University, the City of Grand Rapids and Grand Rapids Community College. It has recently expanded to include Spectrum Health, Saint Mary's Health Care, Mary Free Bed Rehabilitation Hospital, and the Grand Angels.

This partnership was formed to bring together the product development tools, amenities and community assets an innovator, entrepreneur, or small business needs to make their ideas a business reality. WMSTI also accommodates client needs by offering incubator/accelerator amenities through our New Venture Center located on the 5^th floor of the GVSU Cook DeVos Center for Health Sciences.

The New Venture Center offers access to laboratory facilities, machinery and equipment such as tissue culture laboratories, cold room, warm room, sterilization area, preparation room, radio-isotope room, microscopy suite, specialized instrumentation room, cell and molecular biology laboratory. State-of-the-art meeting facilities are also available for clients of WMSTI.

University-Industry Commercialization Programs

Business Alliance

http://www.gvsu.edu/businessalliance/

Alliance brings vision, mission, and strategic goals to life by building partnerships and collaborations between the university and external entities that contribute to the enrichment of society in the region, the state and beyond. The Alliance provides:

Business Development

- Creates regional economic vitality through training, assistance and research
- Provides support to core of region---SMEs, start-ups, techs and family owned businesses
- Delivers products and services in a seamless, collaborative manner

University Role in Community Development

- Strengthens University involvement in community
- Provides quality service to business clients
- Fulfills call for public university’s role in economic development

Real Life Laboratory

- Quality Instruction + Life Experience = Leadership in Undergraduate Education
- Attraction and retention of top students and faculty
- Valuable experience desired by potential employers

An Opportunity for the University

- Increases competitive advantage – no other Michigan University has this depth of business services
- Demonstrates support for local business community – University is actively involved in business and economic development
- Increases University reach and exposure - five entities delivering services and programs under the GVSU logo

Entrepreneurship Education related to Economic Development

Business Plan Competition

1^st Annual Business Plan Competition held April 3, 2008 by the Seidman Business School’s Center for Entrepreneurship.

GVSU sponsors and co-manages the Great Lakes Entrepreneurs Quest (GLEQ) (a statewide business plan competition).

Annual Idea Pitch Competition

http://www.gvsu.edu/business/entrepreneurship/index.cfm?id=EBE31FBB-AE90-0C8A-63F785A201C31513

Over the past two years, GVSU has held an Idea Pitch competition. Students present their individual 90-second business idea in front of judges from the local entrepreneurial community and GVSU faculty/students. The student entrepreneurs compete for three top cash prizes totaling $2800, and the competition also prepares them for the National CEO Elevator Pitch Competition. Students from any discipline are able to participate; last year’s winner was from the Hospitality and Tourism Management program and the runners-up were from Mathematics, Biology, Engineering, and Graphic Design.

Business Launch/Internships

The ENT 351 Entrepreneurial Project course is intended to be the capstone for both minor and certificate students and was taught for the first time in January 2008. . The course involves individual project work such as the launching and/or growing the student business, conduct in-depth research on current entrepreneurial issues, or assisting area entrepreneurs. Ideally, students will launch their own business as part of this course, but GVSU faculty recognizes that this might not be feasible in all cases and an internship may be substituted.

Close relationships with the SBDTC help to identify internship opportunities, and many students have contacts of local businesses.

Economic Development/Outreach

Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED)

The seven-county West Michigan region was one of 13 in the country in February, 2006 to receive federal funding for economic development from the Workforce Innovation in Regional Economic Development (WIRED) initiative.

The West Michigan Strategic Alliance applied for a WIRED grant along with numerous partners in the region. The Alliance partnered with GVSU, GRCC, the Michigan Works! Agencies, Best Michigan, The Right Place, Inc. and numerous other educational, business, and philanthropic institutions to create the proposal. The grant includes $15 million over a three-year period for each region. The goal of the WIRED initiative is to transform regional economies by enlisting the skills of the numerous and varied players in those economies to research and produce long-term strategic plans that prepare workers for high-skill, high-wage opportunities in the coming years and into the next decade.

The funds support 12 new and expanded workforce development programs. The proposal to the WIRED program details the development of an integrated approach to workforce, economic development and education efforts in the West Michigan economy, with initiatives in four categories:

Market intelligence--initiatives designed to better understand the detailed structure of regional employment clusters and the emerging requirements for the innovation economy;
The Innovation Institute--bringing together all of the region's initiatives focused on building knowledge about innovation, innovation systems in regional companies, and a skill base to support innovation strategies;
Workforce system transformation--initiatives designed to restructure key elements of our workforce development and education system for emerging, existing and transitional workers;
Enterprise development--initiatives designed to stimulate entrepreneurship and new business creation.

Market intelligence--initiatives designed to better understand the detailed structure of regional employment clusters and the emerging requirements for the innovation economy;
The Innovation Institute--bringing together all of the region's initiatives focused on building knowledge about innovation, innovation systems in regional companies, and a skill base to support innovation strategies;
Workforce system transformation--initiatives designed to restructure key elements of our workforce development and education system for emerging, existing and transitional workers;
Enterprise development--initiatives designed to stimulate entrepreneurship and new business creation.

Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center^TM

The Michigan Small Business & Technology Development Center^TM (MI-SBTDC^TM) enhances Michigan's economic well-being by providing counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures, existing small businesses and innovative technology companies. With offices statewide, the MI-SBTDC^TM positively impacts the economy by strengthening existing companies, creating new jobs, retaining existing jobs, and assisting companies in defining their path to success.

The State Headquarters, located at Grand Valley State University, supports 12 regional offices and over 30 satellite offices, each providing counseling and training to small business owners and entrepreneurs throughout the 83 counties in Michigan through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration.