Wayne State’s business engagement center has a slightly new name, a very new website and a brand-new staff member.
The Front Door for Business Engagement (formerly The Front Door) was founded in 2009 and has been part of the Office of Economic Development since 2011. It serves as a one-stop shop for connecting businesses to the university’s resources, with a focus on research support, promotion of university technologies, and participation in Wayne State labs and centers. The office also connects businesses to students, professional development opportunities and the university’s many small-business support programs.
The Front Door for Business Engagement works with businesses of all sizes. It offers two programs specifically designed for small businesses: The Small Company Innovation Program, which provides matching funds of up to $40,000 for research projects, and the Small Company Internship Award Program, which provides matching funds to help small businesses hire students in the STEM fields. It also helps businesses connect within the region’s entrepreneurship ecosystem, linking both startups and established ventures to Wayne State programs like The Office of Technology Commercialization, the Law School’s Business and Community Law and Patent Procurement Clinic, the Executive and Professional Development office, the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, and TechTown.
“Wayne State boasts world-class resources that can help strengthen businesses of all sizes and drive economic growth in Detroit and the region,” said Dennis Atkinson, Wayne State’s director of corporate engagement and director of The Front Door for Business Engagement. “Our faculty expertise, our student talent, our research and technology, and our laboratories and facilities are all tremendous assets. But often, businesses don’t know where to begin. That’s where The Front Door for Business Engagement comes in.”
Atkinson and his team serve as “concierges,” helping businesses navigate through the university. The newest member of that team is Dr. Kashif Haque, who joined the office on March 2 as its first industry liaison for health care and life sciences. His counterpart is Lori Simoes, industry liaison for engineering and technology.
For more information, visit thefrontdoor.wayne.edu, email frontdoor@wayne.edu or call 888-WSU-DOOR.