This is a SGER proposal to study how the Partnerships For Innovation Program can involve a broader range of academic institutions including smaller research universities and community colleges, particularly those located in rural areas, Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities in catalyzing and enabling innovation through creating and disseminating new knowledge, enhancing a scientific and technological workforce and promoting an infrastructure that fosters innovation. There is a significant body of research that describes university-industry partnerships and the role of major research universities in innovation. There is a gap in this growing literature on university-industry partnerships and innovation that does not adequately cover these types of institutions. The goal of this award is to study the roles of these smaller academic institutions in the innovation enterprise. The effort explores policies, practices, programs and linkages that smaller academic institutions use to stimulate and enhance innovation. The research consists of on-site, in-depth case studies of at least 10 small universities and community colleges that are currently involved in innovation partnerships. The effort involves forming a national advisory committee of nationally prominent individuals in the field of innovation partnerships, identifying the domain of innovation partnerships, defining the types of institutions appropriate for the study, and developing the case studies.
