UCF leads $20M national initiative to help technology companies grow

Story by UCF

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is leading a new $20 million National Science Foundation initiative aimed at helping promising technology companies turn federally funded research into successful businesses.

The two-year National Commercialization and Translation Institute (NCTI) will support small businesses that have moved beyond early-stage research but still face challenges in bringing their technologies to market. Support will include funding, mentorship, training, prototyping, testing and market validation.

The initiative builds on UCF’s decades of experience in research commercialization, including the UCF Business Incubation Program and NSF-funded programs such as I-Corps and the Florida Semiconductor Engine.

Ivan Garibay, Ph.D., a professor of industrial engineering and management systems,  Institute for Simulation & Training (IST) research faculty member, and director of the UCF Complex Adaptive Systems Laboratory, will lead NCTI alongside Michael Georgiopoulos, dean of the College of Engineering and Computer Science; Thomas O’Neal, Ph.D., a professor of industrial engineering and management systems; and Ron Piccolo, Ph.D., associate dean for strategic initiatives and chief executive officer of the NSF Florida Semiconductor Engine.

More than 30 organizations from industry, academia and national laboratories are supporting the effort, including Samsung, Siemens, Lockheed Martin and L3Harris. NCTI will work with a select group of NSF-funded small businesses in fields including artificial intelligence, biotechnology and quantum computing.

For more on UCF’s new national initiative and how it will help technology companies grow, read the full article here.