Our Services
Innovation Associates develops and enhances innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem initiatives through the balanced use of people, processes, and tools to reach optimal solutions. We draw from national and international experts to bring your organization the latest and most useful methods and techniques. Innovation Associates embraces a flexible and adaptable work style to meet its clients' goals for specific efforts in an individual organization or institution. Contact us.
Advancing Innovation-Based Communities and States: IA provides expert advice to communities and states on creating and enhancing initiatives to catalyze technology enterprises. Based on proven best practices, IA's services focus on: leveraging university and federal research to spin off technology start-ups; developing innovation and acceleration centers; improving incubators and research parks; forming entrepreneurship programs and networks; and designing cluster-driven strategies. We have identified programs in U.S. cities that exhibit high-technology growth as well as specific initiatives used successfully by organizations, academic institutions and others worldwide in order to adapt these exemplary practices to your unique environment.
Promoting University Innovation and Entrepreneurship: IA has provided consulting in the U.S., Canada and Europe to enhance programs and institute policy changes that promote university technology transfer and commercialization, entrepreneurial development and university-industry collaboration. These activities focus on the effective identification, collaboration and transfer of university R&D to license inventions and launch technology spin-offs. Projects have involved developing university-industry grants, improving technology transfer and commercialization structure and processes, and developing internal and external linkages for entrepreneurial development. IA works with the institution further to promote an innovation culture by aligning policies with innovation strategies and priorities. Recognizing that innovations come from many different sources, IA works with a variety of research institutions, community colleges and others as well as universities.
Enhancing National Laboratories’ Innovation Ecosystems and Promoting Partnerships: IA has provided services to major national laboratories to enhance their innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives, upgrade technology transfer processes, and promote partnerships with corporations and other technology users. We have identified the newest and best practices in the field including non-profit arms to facilitate greater technology transfer flexibility, spin-in entrepreneurial catalysts, innovation accelerators, and techniques to promote a more entrepreneurial culture. We also identify and facilitate linkages with external organizations to support national laboratory innovations.
Facilitating Corporate Linkages to Universities and National Laboratories: IA can assist corporations identify university and national laboratory research, and help them develop effective research and commercialization partnerships. Working with both the corporation and the research institution, we seek to facilitate and optimize mutually beneficial partnerships.
Advancing Innovations in Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers and Manufacturing Extension Programs: IA has identified successful programs to transfer and adapt advanced manufacturing innovations to small- and medium sized manufacturers (SMMs). It works with universities, national laboratories, Manufacturing Extension Partnerships and Manufacturing USA Institutes to transfer and adapt advanced technologies and implement supporting processes, services and linkages.
Leveraging SBIR/STTR and Meeting the Needs of Underrepresented SMEs: IA works with organizations and institutions to increase innovation startups and to promote SBIRs and STTRs as part of that process. Special attention goes to increasing women and minority-owned SMEs and underrepresented geographic regions. IA helps organizations structure programs and services that support SMEs, using SBIRs/STTRs as one tool and drawing from other proven ones.. IA also has been active in national policy to increase commercialization tools available to SMEs and SBIR/STTR firms.
Adapting National and International Best Practices: IA is well known for adapting best practices from national and international innovation ecosystem models. Under multiple contracts, IA has assessed best practices throughout the United States, Europe, Scandinavia and Asia-Pacific and has applied these practices to varying environments. We have adapted best practices in: cluster-driven strategies, technology transfer and commercialization, incubators/accelerators, research parks, angel/seed capital, SME development, manufacturing extension and technology-related employment creation.
Conducting Benchmarking, Research and Evaluation: IA has provided expert advice and conducted benchmarking, research and evaluation— from performing informal assessments to applying formal evaluation methodology — on multiple economic and technology topics. These topics often involve competitive positioning and demonstrating program "return-on-investment" for communities, states and organizations.
Advancing Innovation-Based Communities and States: IA provides expert advice to communities and states on creating and enhancing initiatives to catalyze technology enterprises. Based on proven best practices, IA's services focus on: leveraging university and federal research to spin off technology start-ups; developing innovation and acceleration centers; improving incubators and research parks; forming entrepreneurship programs and networks; and designing cluster-driven strategies. We have identified programs in U.S. cities that exhibit high-technology growth as well as specific initiatives used successfully by organizations, academic institutions and others worldwide in order to adapt these exemplary practices to your unique environment.
Promoting University Innovation and Entrepreneurship: IA has provided consulting in the U.S., Canada and Europe to enhance programs and institute policy changes that promote university technology transfer and commercialization, entrepreneurial development and university-industry collaboration. These activities focus on the effective identification, collaboration and transfer of university R&D to license inventions and launch technology spin-offs. Projects have involved developing university-industry grants, improving technology transfer and commercialization structure and processes, and developing internal and external linkages for entrepreneurial development. IA works with the institution further to promote an innovation culture by aligning policies with innovation strategies and priorities. Recognizing that innovations come from many different sources, IA works with a variety of research institutions, community colleges and others as well as universities.
Enhancing National Laboratories’ Innovation Ecosystems and Promoting Partnerships: IA has provided services to major national laboratories to enhance their innovation and entrepreneurial initiatives, upgrade technology transfer processes, and promote partnerships with corporations and other technology users. We have identified the newest and best practices in the field including non-profit arms to facilitate greater technology transfer flexibility, spin-in entrepreneurial catalysts, innovation accelerators, and techniques to promote a more entrepreneurial culture. We also identify and facilitate linkages with external organizations to support national laboratory innovations.
Facilitating Corporate Linkages to Universities and National Laboratories: IA can assist corporations identify university and national laboratory research, and help them develop effective research and commercialization partnerships. Working with both the corporation and the research institution, we seek to facilitate and optimize mutually beneficial partnerships.
Advancing Innovations in Small and Medium-Sized Manufacturers and Manufacturing Extension Programs: IA has identified successful programs to transfer and adapt advanced manufacturing innovations to small- and medium sized manufacturers (SMMs). It works with universities, national laboratories, Manufacturing Extension Partnerships and Manufacturing USA Institutes to transfer and adapt advanced technologies and implement supporting processes, services and linkages.
Leveraging SBIR/STTR and Meeting the Needs of Underrepresented SMEs: IA works with organizations and institutions to increase innovation startups and to promote SBIRs and STTRs as part of that process. Special attention goes to increasing women and minority-owned SMEs and underrepresented geographic regions. IA helps organizations structure programs and services that support SMEs, using SBIRs/STTRs as one tool and drawing from other proven ones.. IA also has been active in national policy to increase commercialization tools available to SMEs and SBIR/STTR firms.
Adapting National and International Best Practices: IA is well known for adapting best practices from national and international innovation ecosystem models. Under multiple contracts, IA has assessed best practices throughout the United States, Europe, Scandinavia and Asia-Pacific and has applied these practices to varying environments. We have adapted best practices in: cluster-driven strategies, technology transfer and commercialization, incubators/accelerators, research parks, angel/seed capital, SME development, manufacturing extension and technology-related employment creation.
Conducting Benchmarking, Research and Evaluation: IA has provided expert advice and conducted benchmarking, research and evaluation— from performing informal assessments to applying formal evaluation methodology — on multiple economic and technology topics. These topics often involve competitive positioning and demonstrating program "return-on-investment" for communities, states and organizations.