York, Pa. — The Board of Trustees Committee on Outreach, Development and Community Relations on Thursday (July 21) discussed the statewide impact of the Invent Penn State LaunchBox & Innovation Network, which catalyzes economic growth and job creation throughout Pennsylvania, during its regular meeting. 

The LaunchBox and Innovation Network, open to the public and the Penn State community, is comprised of 21 innovation spaces embedded within Commonwealth Campus communities across the state. Each innovation space provides a wide array of no-cost resources needed by entrepreneurs and innovators. Of these 21 innovation spaces, 18 are LaunchBoxes that provide specialized programs to ‘launch’ startup companies. 

“The network continues to spur innovation within our local and state economies,” said Lora Weiss, senior vice president for Research at Penn State. “Since its inception in 2015, the network has aided the creation of 218 new Pennsylvania companies and supported 309 product development projects, helping to strengthen communities across the state.” 

Statewide network services include prototyping, legal and intellectual property advice, and accelerator programs, among other no-cost resources. More than 2,000 ventures have received free legal and intellectual property advice through the Penn State Law Entrepreneur Assistance and IP Clinics offered across the LaunchBox and Innovation Network. 

Today, 96% of Pennsylvanians live or work within 30 miles of an innovation space. 

“The LaunchBox and Innovation Network provides entrepreneurs with access to Penn State researchers, experts and alumni mentors, a broad set of business-support resources and customized programming that serves local needs,” said James Delattre, associate vice president for research and director of the Office of Entrepreneurship and Commercialization. “The network has assisted nearly 5,000 entrepreneurs since its inception and the impact continues to grow each year.” 

Innovation spaces can adapt and offer unique programming tailored to the needs of their communities in which they are embedded. This includes bilingual programs offered at Abington LaunchBox, Berks LaunchBox and Hazleton LaunchBox powered by Pasco L. Schiavo, Esq. as well as product design and rapid prototyping services at James R. Meehl Innovation Commons, at Penn State Behrend. Recently, Penn State New Kensington celebrated the grand opening of the Digital Foundry, a new 15,044-square-foot innovation and manufacturing lab in downtown New Kensington. 

For the 2022-23 fiscal year, the Pennsylvania General Assembly approved $2.35 million in new funding for Invent Penn State. This funding will help the University strengthen and grow the LaunchBox and Innovation Network, expand established entrepreneurship training programs with additional staffing and support services and increase access to the Pennsylvania Technical Assistance Program to support more businesses. 

The LaunchBox and Innovation Network began in 2015 when five Penn State campuses each received $50,000 from Invent Penn State’s competitive seed grant program. Each campus was awarded a grant to create community innovation spaces with the ability to receive repeat funding for three years. The demand continued to grow, resulting in 21 innovation spaces being opened across the commonwealth.