School:Marshall University
OVERVIEW
Promoting student innovation and entrepreneurship
Marshall University is located in Huntington, West Virginia. With new leadership on campus, including President Brad D. Smith, the future for innovation and entrepreneurship is bright. Marshall University would like its students to create the next Uber or Facebook, but understand that they first must teach the fundamentals of entrepreneurship and innovation. Within the last 7 years, Marshall University has created an Entrepreneurship major and minor offered through the Lewis College of Business. There is also a music entrepreneurship minor offered in the Marshall's School of Music. In 2018, Marshall University's Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (iCenter) was created. The iCenter serves as a maker space where students, faculty, and community members are able to prototype and start their own podcasts. The Brad D. Smith Incubator class, which has operated since 2021, allows students to start a business while receiving mentorship along the way, serving students and their startup ideas every semester. Along with the iCenter, the Center for Innovation is located in the Advanced Manufacturing Center (MAMC). This Center is a unique center that offers affordable access to a diverse lineup of 3D printing and other production services. A organization on campus that helps promote entrepreneurship is Delta Sigma Pi, which is a coed business fraternity that supports growth in leadership and getting hands on experience in various fields of business. At Marshall University, students have the unique opportunity to be apart of the change occurring on campus and in Huntington. While we may still be establishing our entrepreneurial and innovative efforts, we are creative and scrappy, and most importantly, we are Marshall!
Encouraging faculty innovation and entrepreneurship
To support faculty innovation and entrepreneurship, Marshall University also provides access to Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and Marshall Institute for Interdisciplinary Research under the Marshall University Research Corporation. These centers can provide faculty with funding for their entrepreneurial pursuits and research. In addition, Marshall University faculty has access to the iCenter which provides design thinking workshops, prototyping materials, and a collaboration space. The iCenter offers the prestigious Innovation Catalyst Program to Marshall faculty. This program works with departments across campus to create innovation catalysts in hopes of further spreading innovation and entrepreneurship. As of the Fall 2025 semester, it is the fourth cohort of faculty going through this training.
Actively supporting the university technology transfer function
Each year at Marshall University, faculty, staff, and students create innovative products and services. These products and services have the potential to be profitable, and the Technology Transfer Office helps support these endeavors. The Technology Transfer Office is under Marshall University's Research Corporation (MURC). It provides a variety of services including facilitating the invention disclosure process, the commercialization and licensing support, obtaining IP protection documents, product and service marketing, and creating connections to industry partners.
Facilitating university-industry collaboration
Marshall University is making great strides to facilitate industry-collaboration. Currently, Marshall University offers an internship program with Amazon and an apprenticeship program in manufacturing and design through the Robert C Byrd Institute. These apprenticeships are available for both engineering and business students, and allow students to work with real business and gain experience in the field. These opportunities connect students to their areas of interest and industry. In addition, the Huntington community offers students access to 3 industrial and makers’ spaces through the Robert C. Byrd Institute. Through the Office of Career Education, career fairs and expos are offered throughout the year for all students, as well as specific expos for different fields, i.e. STEM and business internship and job opportunities.
Engaging with regional and local economic development efforts
There are many regional sources of capital and seed funding sources that Marshall University students can utilize. Three of the main regional sources of capital are the Wing2Wing Venture underneath the Wing2Wing Foundation, the Innova Commercialization Group under the High Technology Foundation (WVHTF), and the Appalachian Investors Alliance which is an independent nonprofit supported in part by Appalachian Regional Commission. Following that, a couple of the seed funding sources here are the WV Innovation and Business Model Competition sponsored by our Lewis College of Business, the Ignite Business Competition sponsored by WVU, the Small Business Development Center encouraging students' entrepreneurship ideas, our Advanced Manufacturing Center Early Stage Funding, and the WV Investor Collaborative sponsored by TechConnectWV. In addition, students seeking access to entrepreneurship and innovation mentorship can seek many workshops and coaching on campus and by different firms in Huntington. There are several grant writing and many other resources in Huntington that support students economically.
RELATED LINKS
Marshall University Student Priorities
Related links
