Faculty members can render technical assistance to small businesses
The Regional Development Corporation (RDC), a non-profit economic development organization, has announced that the University of New Mexico has agreed to become a SATOP Alliance Partner. The Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (“SATOP”) is sponsored by NASA and has the objective of encouraging organizations that have received NASA research funds in the past to become Alliance Partners for the purpose of economic development support to the small business community.
UNM is currently a recipient of NASA funds and thus qualifies for the program. The agreement permits UNM faculty members to render technical assistance to small businesses.
“We are pleased that UNM has become an Alliance Partner,” said DeAnza Valencia, director of SATOP at the RDC. “There are many talented faculty members at UNM who can help small businesses with technical problems that are inhibiting their revenue growth, especially in New Mexico. This program is designed to help create jobs and unleash the potential for business growth.”
SATOP operates in four states: Florida, Texas, New York and New Mexico.
Under the agreement signed by both the RDC and UNM, faculty members from the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Engineering and Anderson Schools of Management can volunteer to assist small businesses in solving technical problems. UNM receives a stipend from SATOP for the assistance rendered by the faculty members.
In turn, UNM plans to allocate that stipend as professional development funds to those faculty members who have provided technical assistance through SATOP. Supervision of the SATOP program at UNM will be handled by the Center on Entrepreneurship and Innovation, directed by Professor and PNM Chair in Microsystems, Commercialization and Technology, Dr. Andres C. Salazar.
“This program has many positive features for UNM faculty,” said Dr. Joseph Cecchi, dean, School of Engineering. “It encourages faculty to assist small companies in solving real world problems in technology while giving them an experience that will be useful in developing research and classroom topics that reflect the innovative efforts of small companies.”
About UNM
UNM is the flagship university for the State of New Mexico with total enrollment exceeding 31,000 in 13 distinct colleges or schools. Its main campus is located in Albuquerque with branch campuses at Gallup, Taos, Los Alamos and Valencia County. It features New Mexico’s only School of Architecture and Community Planning, School of Law, School of Medicine and College of Pharmacy.
About RDC
The RDC was created in 1996 as the Los Alamos National Laboratories permanent Community Reuse Organization for the purpose of distributing the tri-county’s remaining Section 3161 funding from the Defense Appropriations Act of 1993. Since 1998 the RDC has received $6.6 million in grants from the Department of Energy for distribution in economic development projects in the tri-county region encompassing Los Alamos, Rio Arriba and Santa Fe counties and the eight northern Indian Pueblos. In June 2001, the RDC became New Mexico headquarters for the Space Alliance Technology Outreach Program (SATOP).
Contacts: Andres C. Salazar, (505) 277-8883 or Steve Carr, (505) 277-1821