Wichita State to receive $7.1 million grant to foster innovation

Wichita State University is getting a $7.1 million federal grant to help boost the university’s innovation efforts.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration awarded the money to WSU Ventures, the entity helping foster innovation at WSU, the school said in a statement Thursday.

The money will be used, among other things, to foster new manufacturing jobs to replace those lost in the defense industry. More specifically, the money will go to new technology, research, institutes, centers and labs; it will buy equipment and create jobs, WSU said.

"We view this award as a demonstration of the EDA's confidence in Wichita State and our ability to develop and employ technologies that will transform the manufacturing and defense industry," WSU President John Bardo said in the statement.

Bardo started an effort not long after he arrived in 2012 to create an innovation campus within the WSU campus. The overall strategy, besides better educating students, is to partner WSU’s scientists and labs with entrepreneurs and businesses to help Wichita and south-central Kansas boost the economy and create jobs.

"Increased industry collaboration will also provide additional applied learning experiences for students, allowing them access to the latest industry-relevant technology," Bardo said in the statement.

"The Department of Commerce and EDA understand the vital importance of supporting American manufacturing to ensure America's economic competitiveness," said U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development Jay Williams in the WSU statement.

"Wichita State University is quickly becoming a hub of advanced manufacturing, exploring new and innovative technologies and leading the south Kansas designated manufacturing community.”

This story was originally published October 1, 2015 at 2:35 PM with the headline "Wichita State to receive $7.1 million grant to foster innovation."