Established in 1985, Mtech's entrepreneurship programs at the University of Maryland (UMD) have grown into a dozen innovative programs in entrepreneurship education, venture creation, and industry partnerships, earning national awards and feature stories on CNN. These programs form an "innovation ecosystem": a continuum of support for entrepreneurial endeavors that weaves together technology, business, and innovation. This continuum is a system in which people, ideas, concepts and IP are transformed into seasoned entrepreneurs and sustainable companies. These programs have contributed $22 billion to the Maryland economy and helped create billion dollar industries like satellite broadband and infant respiratory medications. Key leaders from UMD's ecosystem will address issues such as vision/mission, talent/resources, measuring success, and politics in university innovation ecosystems and why all universities must nurture these ecosystems in order to help keep this country competitive.
