Strategy: Provide effective and active support for the economic development and quality of life in the region and state.
Point People: John Meyer and Nicole Biggart
Summary of Fifth Year Implementation Efforts:
- The Graduate School of Management’s Little Bang poster contests and student-run Big Bang! Business Plan Competition continues to grow, thrive and expand this year. The program is designed to promote entrepreneurship, innovation, and interdisciplinary, hands-on collaboration among scientists and MBA students while engaging regional business leaders, experienced entrepreneurs and investors.
The UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship has expanded its impact and scope in the past year. In July, the center hosted its second annual Green Technology Entrepreneurship Academy (GTEA) which drew 50 doctoral and post-doctoral students and research faculty from 23 universities around the world to gain knowledge about commercializing sustainable technologies. GTEA has a unique focus of providing scientists and engineers developing green technologies with the network and means to bring their discoveries to the market and have the greatest impact possible.
With a focus on the state of California, the Center for Entrepreneurship held a UC Entrepreneurship Academy (UCEA) specifically addressing the needs of the University of California in September 2008. The one-week intensive program provides about 40 researchers from across the UC system and USC with the knowledge and networks that enable scientists and engineers to effectively move their research into the markets where it can make a difference. Through a combination of lectures, exercises and team projects, participants gain the ability to recognize, develop and communicate potential commercial opportunities arising from their research. The program also shows them how to build and tap the social networks linking them to the entrepreneurial community of investors and stakeholders.
In February 2009, the UC Davis Center for Entrepreneurship, in conjunction with the strengths of the Food for Health Institute and the UC Davis School of Medicine, will hold the first Food + Health Entrepreneurship academy that will use the proven track record and approaches of GTEA and UCEA to solve some of the toughest problems in the area of health and nutrition.
- The Graduate School of Management’s MBA Consulting Center offers teams of experienced UC Davis MBA students to solve strategic problems for client companies ranging from area start-ups to Fortune 100 firms. In the past year, students have completed projects for Hewlett-Packard, PG&E, Cisco Systems, SynapSense (a UC Davis spin-out), Varian, Inc., Symantec, Solar City Corp., Sun Microsystems, Rominger West Winery (Davis-based) and the University of California Office of the President. The GSM’s student-run Community Consulting Group has also provided free consulting services to area non-profits.
- The UC Davis Energy Efficiency Center continues interdisciplinary efforts designed to accelerate development and commercialization of new and viable technologies. The EEC has established strong public-private partnerships and collaborations with industry, government, and our university partners to meet the demands for innovation in energy efficiency, business development, and the growing need for a trained labor force. The center has strong ties with all of the primary utility companies, the private sector and public agencies in California. With generous support from the California Clean Energy Fund (CalCEF) and a grant from UC Discovery (Industry-University Cooperative Research Program), on February 13, 2008 the Energy Efficiency Center (EEC) in collaboration with the Center for Entrepreneurship (C4E) brought together California's foremost leaders in energy efficiency. More than 60 top decision-makers participated in a candid dialogue about the challenges and opportunities for accelerating market impact of distributed energy technologies.
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