Our Role in Economic Development
Economic Development is a key priority for OU and will continue to impact Oklahomans by encouraging collaboration, promoting the development of innovative activities and entrepreneurship; and fostering economic development in service to the businesses and citizens of the State of Oklahoma and the nation.
The Office of Technology Commercialization
The Office of Technology Commercialization plays an integral role in the promotion, protection and commercialization of University innovation. Serving the University’s three campus, the Office of Technology Commercialization helps researchers transform ideas into tangible impact for the betterment of society, and focuses on the management of intellectual property, the cultivation of key industry relationships, the creation of successful University startups, and providing resources for campus innovators to spark research and collaboration. Among these resources are direct funding to develop market-centered data that bridges the academic-industry gap, and experiential entrepreneurial education to train the leaders who will shape the state and nation.
The Ronnie K. Irani Center for the Creation of Economic Wealth
I-CCEW is an economic development organization that specializes in high-impact projects centered on technology commercialization, social entrepreneurship and innovation, software and web development, agile product design, and entrepreneurial support. It provides immersive learning experiences and leadership training, collaborative spaces and high-impact programming, and entrepreneurial consulting to graduate and undergraduate students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and community members in Norman, Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Its programs include the Software Business Accelerator, the Social Entrepreneurship Program, and community development initiatives such as the Oklahoma Funding Accelerator, The Mine and OK Coders. I-CCEW engages interns, fellows and faculty along with university researchers and private-sector mentors in real-world, high-impact projects that link the University and broader community.
The Tom Love Innovation Hub
The mission of the Tom Love Innovation Hub is to increase innovation and entrepreneurship across the University, the community, and the state. It offers a wide variety of resources, programs, services, and expertise toward creating a diverse innovative ecosystem and more Oklahoma-based economic opportunities for University students and graduates. Resources include a Digital Fabrication Lab, a Visualization Lab, a Code Lab, a Startup Legal Clinic, and extensive event, meeting, and co-working spaces. Programs, including 201 Talks, 405 Startup Stories, How Do I?, Create Challenge, Merging Realities, and other workshops, are designed to inspire, train, mentor, support, and challenge. It also supports K-12 learning across Oklahoma through Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) related competitions, experiential training, and outreach. The Tom Love Innovation Hub serves as the central organization for the U. S. Small Business Administration (SBA) Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) Program outreach, support, and experiential training across Oklahoma. It is leading a series of statewide programs to improve Oklahoma’s participation in SBIR, submit more proposals, win more awards, and commercialize technologies, especially among women scientists, engineers, and entrepreneurs.
The Office of Public / Private Partnerships
The Office of Public Private Partnerships supports, identifies, leverages, and develops university partnerships across the University’s system with external economic development institutions, private industry, and venture investors. The Office of Public and Private Partnerships enhances the University’s ability to engage in traditional economic development functions such as business recruitment, retention and expansion, as well as complementing the other economic development functions of promoting a robust economic environment (Center for Economic & Management Research), technology commercialization (Office of Technology Commercialization) and business launch and innovation (I-CCEW).
