FUTURE

Athens State University has received NSF EPIIC funding to strengthen industry partnerships and build faculty capacity for innovation collaboration.

Working alongside partner institutions Georgia College & State University and Southern Utah University, Athens State aims to transform how faculty engage with industry partners to create better learning opportunities for students and research opportunities for faculty.

ASU’s Key Goals:

• Faculty Development: CORE Faculty Fellowships to train faculty in building industry relationships, grant management, and partnership development.
• Partnership Infrastructure: Create a centralized system through Corporate and Community Relations to inventory existing partnerships, develop policies, and support faculty in building sustainable industry relationships.
• Student Success: Host annual student showcases where students demonstrate career skills to industry partners, leveraging ASU’s existing relationships with local industry.

The project addresses ASU’s challenge of having strong individual faculty-industry connections that remain siloed across campus. By centralizing resources and providing systematic faculty training, FUTURE will help ASU build the infrastructure needed to support long-term, innovative industry partnerships that benefit students, faculty, and regional economic development.

This collaborative approach positions ASU to better serve rural North Alabama while strengthening the university’s role in the regional innovation ecosystem.

For more information on the CORE Faculty Fellowship, please contact

Dr. Katherine Holm

256-216-6605