The U.S. Department of Commerce is investing $2 million in a new academy hosted by the Roberts Impact Lab at Purdue University Northwest.
The Entrepreneurship, Commercialization, and Innovation Academy in downtown Hammond is part of the city's plan to build opportunities for innovation and support regional small business owners.
“The Roberts Impact Lab at Purdue University Northwest will serve as a major hub in Northwest Indiana where scientific discovery and technological advancement cultivate innovative solutions that propel regional growth,” said PNW Chancellor Kenneth Holford in a press release. “Earning this major $2 million federal funding award reinforces the quality and impact that PNW’s transformational research and outreach provide for our community partners.”
The academy's goal is to provide mentorship and expertise to entrepreneurs with innovative ideas and goals through 16-week cohorts. Topics will include the commercial process, customer outreach, market growth, technology and other factors that determine businesses growth in the larger business community. Workforce develeopment in Northwest Indiana is also a goal.
The first co-hort is expected to start next spring.
“PNW will leverage its institutional capacity and regional partnerships to expand entrepreneurial pathways and promote economic prosperity for underserved communities,” said Niaz Latif, associate vice chancellor for academic affairs and executive director of the PNW Roberts Impact Lab and Commercialization and Manufacturing Excellence Center.
Latiff and Thomas Keon, chancellor emeritus and professor of managerial studies, will lead the project at 5454 Hohman Ave. Renovations have already started and will continue in phases.
The grant was awarded through the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency.
The Roberts Impact Lab also is part of the Chicago Quantum Exchange coalition that earned a $30 million grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration to innovate quantum energy for manufacturing purposes.
