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
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.
Business incubation and co-working space
Downtown Reno startup space, a Makerspace and access to venture funding groups and mentoring
Biotech startup incubation space
Wet lab space with waste disposal and environmental protections in-place
University equipment and expertise
Access to the University’s physical assets, campus space and faculty experts
Startup consulting and support
Go-to resource for startups in manufacturing, workforce, quality systems, automation and growth
Startup pre-accelerator program
Eight-week fully-funded IoT hardware pre-accelerator at the Innevation Center
Small business development
Counseling on legal structure selection, licensing, business plan creation and more
Student entrepreneurial competition
$50,000 prize to facilitate the creation of new businesses in Nevada
Access to the University’s physical assets, campus space and faculty experts
Consulting to advance industrial resilience and competitiveness
Advertise job opportunities for University interns and employees
Counseling and training for small business growth and management
Community and workforce development and support for agricultural business throughout Nevada
Continuing education and professional studies
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.
The University offers space and support to accommodate the differing needs of businesses and startups.
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.
The commercialization of technology is a multi-stage process with the goal of finding suitable application in the marketplace. The process starts with the researcher's discovery. From there, Enterprise & Innovation will work with the researcher to help protect the invention. This includes working closely with both the inventor and appropriate patent offices.
Protect your innovation: A guide to research commercialization at the University
Tech transfer at the University is aimed at transferring researcher’s discoveries to entities that will further develop the technology into products or services. Below is a link to third party multimedia content. If you experience any issues accessing this content, please contact Enterprise & Innovation.
Watch a short video overview of technology transfer from AUTM (1:37 minutes)
Innovator resources
Funding and grant support
Below are links to third party web/multimedia content. If you experience any issues accessing this content, please contact Enterprise & Innovation.
Suppliers, independent contractors and other businesses must register through the Nevada System of Higher Education system. Visit Supplier Registration to get started.
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.
University faculty, startups, or teams with a startup idea are encouraged to apply for a one-week course based on Steve Blank's Lean LaunchPad method offered by the Bay Area Regional I-Corps Node.
The course is focused on improving your value propositions and customer segments. These areas of your business model are essential to minimizing risk and ensuring that your product satisfies market demand. The course requires a team of two to three people. Teams that achieve instructor endorsement after course completion may qualify for the National I-Corps program which includes a $30,000 or $50,000 grant for customer discovery.
If you have a technology-based startup idea, contact Cara Baird with Enterprise & Innovation to learn more about the program and discuss the application process.
