About Us
EFA Mission Statement
The EFA was established to recognize and support outstanding accomplishments and initiatives in innovation and entrepreneurship at WSU. Launched in January of 2016, the EFA seeks to foster entrepreneurial activities at WSU. The EFA supports innovative faculty who create companies, provide artistic experiences to expanding communities, and find practical applications for ideas and concepts. To fulfill our land-grant mission, WSU must lead in the innovation and dissemination of research and technologies that better our constituents.
About the EFA
The efforts of the EFA transcend start-up companies and technology transfer: They seek to produce community-based societal and economic impact that builds from the creative and scholarly work of our faculty and students.
The EFA program was initially launched in 2016, in an effort that was spearheaded by the Office of Research. In 2017, as a product of the External Review of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (ERIE) at WSU, the group was appointed as a presidential level task force to develop recommendations for how the university can better support and enable innovation and entrepreneurship.
The ERIE report articulated a series of recommendations for WSU. The EFA factored prominently in these recommendations. It is a grassroots group focused on developing faculty level support for and engagement in the broader economic development mission of WSU.
It is supported in part by the College of Arts and Sciences, College of Agricultural, Human and Natural Resource Sciences, the Carson College of Business, the College of Veterinary Medicine, WSU Health Sciences Spokane and the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture.
EFA efforts are currently focused on two goals:
- Define means to grow, diversify, and sustain the group.
- Develop incentives and supports for entrepreneurial minded individuals at WSU.
Entrepreneurial activities are not just about startup companies. They can include:
- Curiosity and an openness to explore new ideas and approaches.
- Building new networks and connections across traditional boundaries, activities, and interests.
- Finding resources to leverage the curiosity and initiative to create value for WSU and its constituents.
These activities can dramatically enhance the impact of research and opportunities for students, but requires commitments of time and resources. The EFA promotes entrepreneurial activities by building connectivity across campus and advocating for policies and practices at WSU that support and enable an entrepreneurial culture.
The effort involves:
- Growing and sustaining a support group as a key advocate for innovation and entrepreneurial activities at WSU.
- Developing and implementing policies that support and incentivize research and scholarly outreach.
- Communicating the value of working across disciplines and engaging external to the university.