Five academic leaders at universities across the U.S. have been selected for the VentureWell Institutional Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Award. Recipients have each been awarded $15,000 to launch and expand courses, host convenings, support student research projects or pitches, and improve research translation services to build I&E capacity at their institutions.
Recipients were eligible for the award through their participation in a 2025 pilot program that helped develop VentureWell’s Science and Tech Innovation Inventory (S&T II), a tool to record institutional assets related to the foundational elements and key enablers needed to cultivate innovation at higher education institutions.
The S&T II helps strengthen academic STEM I&E ecosystems by providing a snapshot of organizational assets across six areas: institutional, student, faculty, local community, regional and national partnerships, and alumni. Informed by approximately 200 research-backed indicators, it serves as a roadmap to advance STEM I&E programs, curricula, and policy development.
Seventy-seven faculty members representing 64 university partners participated in the pilot program. All faculty involved in the pilot were eligible for the awards and were evaluated by a committee on their acumen and potential to advance I&E and research translation activities.
The awardees are:
- Johnny Graham, assistant professor of Marketing, School of Business, Howard University
- Steven Jiang, associate professor of Industrial Systems Engineering, North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
- Yatin Karpe, associate vice president for Innovation, Commercialization, and Engagement, Texas State University
- Brittney Miller, program manager, College of Science and Health, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science
- Antwon Woods, dean of the School of Business, Alcorn State University
“Our selected award recipients were instrumental in testing VentureWell’s S&T II tool and ultimately discovered opportunities to make improvements to their institutional I&E ecosystem,” said Mike Brizek, director of Higher Education Ecosystems at VentureWell. “We’re excited that this funding and continued support from VentureWell will provide them further institutional assistance to meaningfully engage with external partners, and create pathways to engage the next generation of innovators as the institution advances in their research translational goals.”
Awardees will be featured speakers at a virtual event next year, where they will share with VentureWell’s network and I&E community how the S&T II tool and award funds have helped advance I&E capabilities at their institutions.
If you’re interested in learning more about the VentureWell Science and Tech Innovation Inventory, please email Mike Brizek.