University of Puerto Rico

The University of Puerto Rico (UPR) proposes the continuation of the Business & Economic Development Center (BEDC) an EDA-University Center (UC), headquartered at the College of Business Administration (CBA) in the Mayaguez Campus (UPRM) jointly with the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) Center for Excellence in Leadership and Learning (CELL). The program will focus on strengthening Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands’ innovation ecosystems, to promote the establishment of companies, commercialize technologies, innovate through product creation, provide services, and improve existing businesses growth opportunities. Among these new initiatives, the BEDC at UPRM also proposes opening a collaborative space at the CBA-UPRM, designed to provide technical assistance for clients, to conduct applied research, and provide networking opportunities. The new UVI-EDA-UC proposal will focus primarily on advancing entrepreneurship, cultivating innovation, business expansion in the region’s innovation cluster, and developing a high-skilled regional workforce through the UVI CELL. Both Centers plan to continue impacting diverse underserved populations including young adults, women, Blacks, Hispanics, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) and reentry populations, granting them access to equitable opportunities and resources related to technology-based economic environments and better jobs.