<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">Here at Virginia Tech, innovation and entrepreneurship is a spectrum. In parts of the university, such as the College of Business, there is a strong pull for this, but on the other side of the spectrum, there are departments of the university that have not integrated a positive I&E culture. There are many clubs, classes, and opportunities that utilize I&E and promote growth in that field. However, the classes that encourage I&E are typically exclusive to business majors unless professor permission is given. The clubs are open to anyone and everyone, but the majority of advertising and promotion for the clubs are done to business students. There are plenty of out of class opportunities for I&E, but not many Virginia Tech students are aware of them. There is no unified ideology that I&E is beneficial to all fields. Some departments agree, and some disagree. Part of our goal is to unify the faculty and students under the idea that multidisciplinary I&E is beneficial to the growth of the school.</span>
== <span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">'''Encouraging faculty innovation and entrepreneurship'''</span></span></span> <br/> == <span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-size:large"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif">'''<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline" id="docs-internal-guid-7ddf7fa9-a632-75e0-0c49-1140d5d6316e">Virginia Tech encourages innovation and entrepreneurship for faculty members in several ways. The </span>[http://www.apexcie.vt.edu <span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#1155cc; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:underline; vertical-align:baseline">Apex Systems Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship</span>]<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">works closely with the Virginia Tech faculty to help encourage entrepreneurship and innovation campus wide. The </span>[https://vtnews.vt.edu/articles/2016/03/030716-research-catalyst.html <span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#1155cc; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:underline; vertical-align:baseline">Catalyst Program</span>]<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">helps faculty members (as well as also students and alumni) to launch new startups or accelerate existing ventures. Virginia Tech also established a technology commercialization training program for faculty members and hosts a special outreach program, including attendance at industry market conferences, in areas ripe for increasing Virginia Tech inventions, through the </span>[http://www.vtip.org/ <span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#1155cc; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:underline; vertical-align:baseline">Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.</span>]<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#1155cc; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:underline; vertical-align:baseline">(VTIP)</span><span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">. Regarding funding opportunities, the </span>[https://osp.vt.edu/ <span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#1155cc; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:underline; vertical-align:baseline">Office of Sponsored Programs</span>]<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">provides a comprehensive array of support services for faculty as they pursue and manage external funding projects in innovation and entrepreneurship. Aiming to enable faculty members to respond quickly to market needs requiring technical expertise, Virginia Tech developed the </span>[http://www.tap.vt.edu <span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#1155cc; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:underline; vertical-align:baseline">Technical Assistance Program</span>]<span style="font-size:11pt; font-family:'Open Sans'; color:#000000; background-color:transparent; font-weight:400; font-style:normal; font-variant:normal; text-decoration:none; vertical-align:baseline">(TAP), a consulting activity intended to strengthen university and faculty relationships with external organizations.</span>'''</span></span></span>
== <br/><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-size:large;"><span style="font-family:georgia,serif;">'''Actively supporting the university technology transfer function'''</span></span></span> ==