2024 IEP Designee – University of Wyoming

UW’s IEP Designation: Setting the Stage for a Bolder, Brighter Economic Future in Wyoming

What a difference a year makes.

In October of 2024, the University of Wyoming earned the prestigious distinction of being designated an Innovation and Economic Prosperity (IEP) university by the Association of Public and Land-Grant Universities (APLU). The designation aligns with UW President Ed Seidel’s vision for catalyzing innovation and entrepreneurship at UW and throughout the state of Wyoming. In the words of UW Vice President Parag Chitnis, the IEP designation “invigorated UW’s commitment to support economic prosperity through place-based innovation and increased research enterprise.”

“The university takes its role as an innovation and economic engine for Wyoming very seriously,” UW President Ed Seidel said. “Becoming an IEP designee illustrates both success in our existing programs and a commitment to lift our performance even higher.”

The application process was rigorous and required a steadfast commitment to high quality and a tight timeline. It required the dedicated efforts of university team members from multiple programs and executive leadership at UW to complete on time and with quality that reflect’s UW’s commitment to fostering innovation. Top of mind for everyone was the knowledge of the value in securing IEP designation as well as dedication to the economic and community engagement goals of the institution.

A key to success was implementing IEP guidelines for self-assessment and planning. The self-study was vital to a strong IEP application and for UW to identify and focus on priorities that address critical gaps and stakeholder needs. The various elements of the self-study took nearly a year to complete, documenting UW’s economic engagement strengths, principal improvement areas, and associated action plans. Tools and training from the APLU helped ensure the self-assessment, through interviews and surveys, and led to a sound, effective growth and improvement plan with clear means to transform and accelerate UW’s trajectory in economic and community engagement. Along with the IEP guidelines and other supportive materials, the APLU IEP Summit— attached to the CECE Summer Meeting— was extremely valuable in providing framework and vision the final application. It also had a greater positive impact of the work performed by the people behind the application. Additionally, the new partners gained through that event continue to prove vital to applying best practices and fostering collaboration.

Through the self-study process UW achieved accomplishments in three broad areas necessary to develop and grow a vibrant and engaged entrepreneurship and innovation community and ecosystem: 1.) a strengthened place with commitment to engagement and impact; 2.) the ability to foster talent at UW and throughout the state of Wyoming; and 3.) the creation of a strong foundation to an effective ecosystem for innovation. These accomplishments map directly to the goals stated in the Growth and Improvement Plan UW submitted to APLU.

The self-study also included a thorough review of past activities, initiatives, programs, ongoing efforts, conversations with external and internal stakeholders, and connections with groups on campus and communities throughout Wyoming. The process focused on achieving a clear understanding of UW’s economic and community engagement, development, and impact. The results ultimately identified three main areas of improvement to grow UW’s innovation and economic engagement. Each goal described below has a champion responsible for implementing the goal over the next five years:

The first goal is construction and completion of the innovation and economic engagement ecosystem. The plan is to reimagine and reinvigorate technology transfer, entrepreneurship, and innovation programming at UW. It also entails the creation of a fully functional Office of Industry and Strategic Partnerships (OISP) and establishment of a UW research park and enhancements to venture capital access.

The second goal involves fostering and maintaining a rigorous culture of entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic engagement at UW. This entails recognizing faculty engagement in research, community, industry, and economic development partnerships. It requires adoption of streamlined processes to reduce barriers to collaborations and partnerships with community, industry, and economic development agencies. It also requires a systematic approach to grow strategic economic development and research partnerships.

The third goal is to maximize awareness of innovation and economic engagement. This will involve a comprehensive communication and outreach strategy, and continuous engagement with internal and external stakeholders through two-way communications. Reaching this goal also requires development of proactive place-based economic development partnerships.

The IEP application submission and process highlighted UW’s excellent partnerships and initiatives, as well as the areas that need enhancement. Beyond bringing all of this activity together in one document, the self-study and the Growth and Improvement Plan have gathered and strengthened the people and the programs at the university and in the state that are the driving force behind so much of Wyoming’s economic and community engagement. The Growth and Improvement plan has become a key platform from which UW’s economic and community engagement is executed, and its execution is destined to reap incredible economic rewards for the state of Wyoming.

Authors:

• Parag Chitnis, Vice President of UW Research & Economic Development Division
• Curtis Biggs, Sr. Director of Strategic Partnerships, UW Research and Economic Development Division