Finalists Representing Leading Economic Development Initiatives Across North America, to Present at the UEDA Summit
The 2022 UEDA Awards of Excellence finalists have been chosen from a group of highly impactful and creative programs and initiatives. Higher education institutions and organizations across North America submit nominations annually for innovative programs that focus on developing economic prosperity in their communities and beyond. A panel of university and economic development professionals have chosen 16 finalists from the group of nominated projects.
The UEDA Awards are designed to validate and promote these programs, and to encourage their adoption by other institutions and communities. Program categories include: Innovation, Talent, Place, Engaged University, and DEI.
Here are this year’s finalists:
Talent
- University of Hawaii Pacific Business Center Program – Developing a Digital Economy in Yap
- University of Kansas – Haskell Environmental Research Studies Institute (HERS)
- University of Oklahoma – OU Startup Programs
Innovation
- efactory – Missouri State University- Supercharge Southwest Missouri (Supercharge SWMO)
- Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering – Joint School’s Institute for Research Technologies
- Tech Parks Arizona, University of Arizona – UACI Global Advantage Soft-Landing Program
Place
- BGSU Center for Regional Development – BGSU Reimagining Rural Regions (R3) Initiative
- Georgia Southern University – Business Innovation Group- GENIE (Georgia Enterprise Network for Innovation and Entrepreneurship)
- University of Hawaii Pacific Business Center Program – Together We can Go Far: Pacific Farmer Organizations as Drivers of Rural Economic Development
Engaged University
- Tech Parks Arizona, University of Arizona – The Refinery / UA Tech Park at The Bridges
- Towson University – The StarTUp
- University of Kentucky – UK Economic Development Collaborative
- Wichita State University – Wichita State University Innovation Campus
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
- Florida Atlantic University – The FAU Innovation and Business Development Branch
- University of Kansas – Center for Digital Inclusion Evidence-based Technology Education for Women Transitioning from Incarceration
- University of Kentucky – University of Kentucky Supplier Diversity
Don’t miss your chance to hear from each finalist during the UEDA Summit on October 9-12 in San Antonio, Texas! Be sure to participate in category roundtables during the Summit to vote for your favorite projects. The category leaders will be announced during the Summit on Tuesday evening at the Awards Banquet.