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For Innovation Report 2020 we decided to take a closer look at Mississippi’s four major research universities—the University of Mississippi, Mississippi State University, Jackson State University, and the University of Southern Mississippi—and the innovation ecosystem around each. What we found was surprising and intriguing. In two cases—UM and USM—there’s a new partnership initiative aimed at making the school and community more responsive to entrepreneurial needs. In Oxford, it’s the “Delta Force” which includes both on-campus and municipal leaders looking at ways to build businesses in the area. At USM, it’s “The Hatchery,” an effort spearheaded by the Trent Lott National Center to better focus a variety of university resources—from the Pine Belt down to the Marine Research Center on the Gulf Coast—on economic development and entrepreneurship. At MSU and JSU, new maker spaces are the centerpiece of
efforts to bring students, faculty, and community together to prototype new ideas and breed innovation. And partnerships abound, as well. Allyson Best, director of the Department of Technology Commercialization at Ole Miss mentioned three: JSU is helping UM bring the I-Corps program to its campus. UM has a partnership with JSU to work with eight other states for funds and mentors for biomedical startups. UM and MSU are part of the XOR partnership among SEC schools to find CEOs for startups from within the pool of alumni from Southeastern Conference schools. Read on for a look at four different parts of the state and how entrepreneurship, higher education, and economic development are putting startup businesses and public-private partnerships front-and-center in 2020.
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