College of Business One of 49 Organizations Nationwide to Receive Grant to Support Startups and Innovative Research

The Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued 49 grants to organizations supporting startups through specialized training, mentoring, and technical assistance under the Federal and State Technology (FAST) Partnership Program. The Idaho State University (ISU) College of Business received $200,000, an increase from previous years, to continue supporting FAST programing within the College’s Commercialization Center.

“The funding we received from the FAST program in 2022 and 2023 was used to start the Commercialization Center and begin generating Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) / Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) applications and awards throughout the state, particularly for underrepresented entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Neil Tocher, ISU College of Business Department of Marketing and Management Professor and Chair, who was the Principal Investigator for the grant application. “The increased funding we’ve received will allow the Commercialization Center to, with the help of Elevate Idaho, continue and grow the services we offer – regular one-on-one consulting, SBIR/STTR introductory webinars, masterclasses, funding agency webinars, and expert mentorship.”

“At a time when we are seeing historic highs in our entrepreneurial activity with a small business boom, investing in America’s innovative startups is a top priority. With FAST, we have now expanded our entrepreneurial ecosystem to nearly every state so that entrepreneurs with great ideas can invent it, commercialize it, and build it with America’s Seed Fund in every corner of America,” said Head of the SBA Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman.

To learn more about the Commercialization Center and services offered, visit isu.edu/cob/business-resources/commercialization-center/.