RALEIGH, NC – The Garage doors are opening for entrepreneurs at North Carolina State University thanks to support from open source software firm Red Hat and the NC State Entrepreneurial Initiative.
The “Garage,” is a facility for students engaged in entrepreneurial endeavors and provides curricular and extra-curricular opportunities to empower students, whatever their discipline, as entrepreneurial thinkers, doers and leaders.
The 2,000 square-foot space is located in Research IV, Room 1802, on Centennial Campus and open to students for the Fall 2010 semester. It includes prototyping studios as well as conference rooms and a lounge. Red Hat’s sponsorship provides the Garage with lab equipment, tools, technology and furnishings. NC State students involved in projects of an entrepreneurial nature will have an opportunity to apply for access to the Garage.
“Red Hat has been innovating collaboratively since its inception to share ideas with global communities and to get new ideas from developers, customers and leaders,” said DeLisa Alexander, senior vice president, People & Brand, Red Hat. “Red Hat’s sponsorship of the Garage is a natural extension of this collaboration as we look to encourage an entrepreneurial spirit in the next generation of leaders and provide a place to converge on a synergistic approach to solve problems and turn ideas into reality.”
Part of the Entrepreneurship Initiative’s vision is to transition into a more permanent facility connected with a living-learning complex planned for Centennial Campus.
It will provide a community for students where they will work within the context of real-world problems and find solutions through critical thinking, creative problem-solving, and new business creation. “The first incarnation of the Garage in Research IV represents great progress toward our long-range goal,” Dr. Miller explained. “We are eager for students from all over the university to gather here to work, learn, and share. We want to support these students in becoming North Carolina’s future job creators.”
The Entrepreneurship Initiative at NC State encourages multi-disciplinary participation on every level – faculty, staff, industry and outreach partners, and most importantly, students. With Dr. Miller as its first executive director, the Initiative was created In July 2008 to become the hub of student-driven entrepreneurship at NC State. Building on its already strong presence in the entrepreneurial community, the Entrepreneurship Initiative offers even more activities, support, and curriculum for students interested in entrepreneurship.
For more information about the Entrepreneurship Initiative, please visit ei.ncsu.edu. For more information about Red Hat, visit www.redhat.com.
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Tags: " entrepreneurial facility for students, "The Garage, NC State University, Red Hat
