CANTON — SUNY Canton has been named the lead institution in a National Science Foundation (NSF) grant for six colleges to broaden participation in research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

The NSF Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) Grant filed through the SUNY Research Foundation will bring each institution in the six-college collaborative $400,000 in funding over three years for a $2.4 million investment by the National Science Foundation.

"Our inclusion in the NSF EPIIC Grant serves as a testament to our shared commitment to fostering innovation in higher education," said SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran. "In collaboration with our partners, we are dedicated to supporting our faculty and students in acquiring the skills and resources they need to expand their research horizons and transform their ideas into entrepreneurial ventures."

In addition to SUNY Canton, the Leveraging Innovation to Grow High Tech and University Partnerships (LIGHT UP) Collaborative is a multi-institution alliance including Rowan College of Burlington County, Marymount University, Alvernia University, Kean University, and Bowie State University. The LIGHT UP Collaborative will develop and enhance the innovation enterprise network at each institution, creating a greater ecosystem within the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions of the United States.

"Beyond helping students succeed while in college, we are setting them up to transition from researchers to successful business owners while driving innovation and workforce development in our communities," said SUNY Canton Science, Health and Criminal Justice Dean Michele A. Snyder, Ph.D., the principal investigator on the grant. "Research at SUNY Canton has grown extensively in the past several years. Students can embark on cutting-edge research projects with the support of their faculty members in all three academic schools at the college."