School:Brigham Young University

Campus Overview

Promoting Student Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Encouraging Faculty Innovation and Entrepreneurship

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Actively Supporting the University Technology Transfer Function

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Facilitating Universtiy-Industry Collaboration

Though BYU has focused on developing their innovation and entrepreneurial resources on campus, regional and local sources are growing and offer enormous potential for students in Provo. Product Hive and Front Utah offer training and mentoring to managers and designers and are perfect for students trying to break into the business industry. The Silicon Slopes area spans from Provo to Salt Lake City to Park City and is one of the fastest growing technological regions in the world. The Slopes are home to hundreds of startup companies, several of which have grown to be “unicorns,” valued at over a billion dollars. The proximity and growth rate of new and innovate companies make Silicon Slopes an excellent resource for BYU students looking to gain innovative and entrepreneurial experiences.

Engaging with Regional and Local Economic Development Efforts

From our research, it does not appear that BYU actively connects with any organizations seeking to develop the local economy. While the UIF program notes that many campuses have an economic development office to leverage university research and development for a positive local economic benefit, BYU has not created such a program. Connection to local economic development groups appears to be the most significant gap in our campus overview report, but perhaps a future relationship with the Utah Governor’s Office of Economic Development could change that and begin a new chapter at BYU.

Written by

Dallas Anderson, Rachel Merrill, Ashley Paget, Gabe Walker