A new chapter for regional innovation began this June as eight faculty members from Colorado State University Pueblo traveled to Fort Collins for a first-of-its-kind fellowship training with CSU Strata. Backed by a 3-year, $400,000 National Science Foundation award under the Enabling Partnerships to Increase Innovation Capacity (EPIIC) program, this marks the first time CSU Pueblo has embedded faculty into a dedicated commercialization bootcamp. The Faculty Innovation Fellows initiative opens massive possibilities for Southern Colorado, providing CSU Pueblo participants with a clear blueprint and toolkit to engage with corporate, nonprofit, and governmental regional partners.
Before the program, many faculty assumed university commercialization meant hitting complicated legal walls. Dr. Justin Holman, an associate professor of statistics and business analytics at CSU Pueblo’s Hasan School of Business, experienced a major shift in perspective.
“CSU has created a culture that supports faculty innovation,” Holman shared. “Innovation and scholarship can complement one another, rather than compete.”
As the technology transfer and commercialization hub for the entire CSU System, CSU Strata pushes to expand these vital services across the entire CSU system. Connecting academic talent, protecting new innovations, and bridging the gap between the lab and the local economy drives regional growth. This partnership ensures that breakthrough system research does not stay locked in the classroom, but instead moves directly into communities to build a more resilient workforce.
Diverse Expertise with Shared Goals
The visiting fellows represented a wide range of academic fields, including engineering, nursing, business, and media. Among the attendees, engineering faculty focused on natural hazard mitigation, sustainable transportation, and structural analysis. Other researchers brought expertise in advanced nursing curricula, business data analytics, inclusive filmmaking, and cannabis genomics. This group proves that innovation thrives in every discipline.
“Commercialization is not just for engineering” Dr. Bahaa Ansaf, the principal investigator of the EPIIC grant and professor of Engineering at CSU Pueblo, selected a cross-disciplinary team on purpose. He believes true growth requires a mix of fields.
“Real economic development requires more than technology,” Dr. Ansaf explained. “It requires understanding people, culture, communication, and community behavior. That’s why it was essential to include nursing, media, business, social sciences, and the humanities. Innovation only succeeds when it is socially informed, morally grounded, and accessible.”
During the intensive week, these scholars focused on practical skills required to navigate external partnerships. The Fellows met with CSU Strata staff, CSU faculty, Innosphere Ventures, the CSU Institute for Entrepreneurship, and representatives of the City of Fort Collins Economic Health Office. This training covered several key areas:
For Sherry Dadgar, an assistant professor of media and entertainment, this sparked a massive lightbulb moment about the power of communication at the CSU Powerhouse, of all places.
“The creative world and the humanities can translate complex research into stories that are easier for people to understand,” Dadgar explained. She noted that sharing these narratives can help scientists secure investors and reach a much broader audience.
Driving Impact for Southern Colorado
This initiative brings long-term value to Southern Colorado by giving faculty the tools to increase partnerships with local and regional stakeholders. As these Fellows bring their new knowledge back to Pueblo and the surrounding area, they will focus to create economic opportunities, develop local jobs, and guide academic and workplace leaders in the area on what they’ve learned to strengthen their local economy.
“The fellowship gives our faculty the tools to turn knowledge into action” Dr. Ansaf notes, “when faculty learn how to translate their expertise into partnerships, startups, and social innovations, Pueblo benefits through stronger workforce pipelines, stronger communities, and new economic opportunities.”
Dr. Holman plans to build on his recent work with a local industry association. Meanwhile, Dadgar hopes to launch film boot camps across CSU campuses to train crews for professional movie productions.
CSU Strata thanks Dr. Bahaa Ansaf and Provost Gail Mackin for partnering with us on this program. We look forward to seeing the regional success and community solutions that this week has sparked.