UNM’s Innovation Academy (iA) recently published its 2017-18 annual impact report, illustrating the positive impact the academy continues to have on students at the university.

According to Robert DelCampo, executive director of the Innovation Academy, “This has been a banner year for iA. We’ve really expanded our reach and entrenched ourselves as UNM’s incubator for ideas, businesses and people.”

The 20-page report outlines the Innovation Academy’s programs and their successes from the 2017-18 school year. The report showcases the academy’s exponential growth, going from 14 student-run companies in 2016-2017 to 36 in 2017-2018. Additionally, programs including the 2+1+2 Program, a partnership with CNM to provide a pathway to a graduate degree for community college students; the first-ever Tech Navigator Challenge, an 8-week contest where students worked to commercialize technologies from national labs; and the annual pitch competitions, an opportunity for students to win seed funding for their business or product ideas are highlighted.

DelCampo says the Innovation Academy plans to continue its growth and offer more support to students seeking a way to integrate innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship into their degree programs at UNM.

“We have some exciting programs on tap for the coming year, DelCampo said. “We run this program entirely on grant and gift funds; we are so grateful for all the community support we’ve received and so proud of our student outcomes.”

The report is available on the Innovation Academy website.