The announcement was made last week: a UMKC-led consortium claimed a winning spot in the third round of the federal i6 Challenge.The result is a $1 million grant that will be used to create a proof of concept center to spur development of information technology-related startup businesses in the Kansas City region. In this portion of today's program, Steve Kraske talks with Maria Meyers, Director of UMKC's Innovation Center about the creation of the Digital Sandbox and what it means for area business development.
More information: If you want to know how to connect with the Digital Sandbox project go to kcsourcelink.com or call the UMKC Innovation Center at 816.235.6500
00000171-73d1-d00a-a1f1-77f3bd760000 Maria Meyers is Director of the Innovation Center at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. Meyers came to UMKC in 2003, when she crafted a public-private partnership to launch a venture that became known as KCSourceLink. She was also instrumental in the creation of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, establishing entrepreneurship as a mainstream field of study that now offers BBA, MBA and PhD degree concentrations in entrepreneurship. Maria served as Chief Operating Officer for both an early stage biotech company and during the $240 million project to create Science City at Union Station in Kansas City, MO. received Digital Equipment Corporation’s Circle of Excellence Award and the Westinghouse Signature Award of Excellence. KCSourceLink won the 2007 Excellence in Economic Development Award for Enhancing Regional Competitiveness from the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration. She has a degree in physics from Iowa State University.
