Innovation Hub: Working with the University | Research & Innovation

Creating bridges between academia and industry to improve lives

The University’s Innovation Ecosystem extends resources, services and people to support innovation, entrepreneurship, research commercialization and industry growth in Nevada. For additional assistance in getting started, contact Enterprise & Innovation.

— Ellen Purpus, Assistant Vice President for Enterprise & Innovation

Incubation, acceleration & industry support

The University is a public entity striving to support the differing needs of industry and striving to benefit businesses to improve Nevada’s economy. Open and creative engagement and nontraditional methods and policies allow for viable partnerships, use of space and fee-for-service contracts that are attractive to business.

Startup & entrepreneurial support

Business incubation and co-working space

Downtown Reno startup space, a Makerspace and access to venture funding groups and mentoring

Innevation Center

Biotech startup incubation space

Wet lab space with waste disposal and environmental protections in-place

Biosciences Entrepreneurial Lab

University equipment and expertise

Access to the University’s physical assets, campus space and faculty experts

Nevada Center for Applied Research

Startup consulting and support

Go-to resource for startups in manufacturing, workforce, quality systems, automation and growth

Nevada Industry Excellence

Startup pre-accelerator program

Eight-week fully-funded IoT hardware pre-accelerator at the Innevation Center

InNEVator

Proof-of-concept funding

Annual funding available to University faculty, students, staff and recent grads through the Nevada Research & Innovation Corporation

InNEVenture Fund

Small business development

Counseling on legal structure selection, licensing, business plan creation and more

Nevada Small Business Development Center

Student entrepreneurial competition

$50,000 prize to facilitate the creation of new businesses in Nevada

Sontag Competition

Business and industry support

Earthquake Engineering Laboratory at the University of Nevada, Reno

Access to the University’s physical assets, campus space and faculty experts

Nevada Center for Applied Research

Close-up of sparks flying off of a piece of material with heavy equipment in the background

Consulting to advance industrial resilience and competitiveness

Nevada Industry Excellence

Two students working on CAD models on two computer screens

Advertise job opportunities for University interns and employees

Nevada Career Studio

Three people in business attire sitting at a table looking at a laptop

Counseling and training for small business growth and management

Nevada Small Business Development Center

A person with a dog in an agricultural field with a tractor and trailer in the background

Community and workforce development and support for agricultural business throughout Nevada

University of Nevada Cooperative Extension

A person in a welding lab holding a metal object and wearing welding protective gear

Continuing education and professional studies

Extended Studies, University of Nevada, Reno

Facilities, space & expertise

Accessing the on-campus facilities, space and expertise is generally coordinated through the Nevada Center for Applied Research (NCAR) – a central and public access point to University’s assets and a one-stop-shop for applied research. If you’re a University employee or an outside entity looking for specific facilities or equipment, search the Shared Research Facilities.

A person sitting in front of equipment at the Mick Hitchcock Ph.D. Nevada Proteomics Center

The University offers space and support to accommodate the differing needs of businesses and startups.

Innevation Center: Co-working, makerspace and mentoring in downtown Reno
Biosciences Entrepreneurial Lab: Wet lab startup incubation space on campus
Nevada Industry Excellence: Support for industrial operations, business growth and workforce strategies
Applied Research Facility: Office space and R&D labs on campus
DeLaMare: Library and makerspace on campus
Ozmen Center for Entrepreneurship: Fostering the creation of ideas for students, faculty and community

IP, licensing & commercialization

Person in an engineering lab working on an experimental set-up that is inside a protective clear plastic, fully-enclosed bubble with sealed-glove access ports - the person's arms are in the glove ports

Enterprise & Innovation provides support to University faculty, staff and students for spin-outs, tech transfer and IP protection services. For entities outside the University, we assist with anything relating to commercialization of research and licensing of available University technology. Contact Enterprise & Innovation for help.

University technologies and inventions available for licensing
Nevada Research & Innovation Corporation, an affiliated organization, assists with University-business partnership facilitation and commercialization
Quick guide to intellectual property ownership through the University: Who Owns the IP?
Express license for University faculty spin-outs
Support for spin-outs and some of the University’s spin-out companies

More connections & resources

Below are links to third party web/multimedia content. If you experience any issues accessing this content, please contact Enterprise & Innovation.

Supplier/vendor registration

Suppliers, independent contractors and other businesses must register through the Nevada System of Higher Education system. Visit Supplier Registration to get started.

University external relations

The executive director for external relations works closely with economic development agencies throughout the state, leads the University's Economic Development and Business Relations Task Force, and helps create economic development, business and outreach partnerships.

Working with the University