Benedict College to Receive Funding to Support Innovation and Entrepreneurship

The South Carolina Department of Commerce Office of Innovation selected the Burroughs Enterprise, Startup, and Technology (B.E.S.T.)  as a Recipient of The Relentless Challenge

UNCF-member institution Benedict College announced today that it is one of 10 Organizations in South Carolina to receive a grant from the South Carolina Department of Commerce Office of Innovation. The funding will be used to support the creation of the Burroughs Enterprise, Startup, and Technology (B.E.S.T.)  Innovation Lab. The 2022 Relentless Challenge Grant presented to Benedict College a matching grant of $43,000.

“Benedict College is quickly becoming a hub for high-growth entrepreneurship for students,” said Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, President and CEO of Benedict College. “Last year, we repurposed our bookstore to support student entrepreneurs since we no longer use hardcover books. The pop-up shop concept allows our students to sell their products without a huge overhead fee. The new B.E.S.T Innovation Lab will help students to develop their ideas and to learn how to operate a small business in the new Benedict College Retail Marketplace.”

With the mission of progressing and supporting technology-based economic development projects, commercialization of new ideas, and the next generation of industry-leading companies, the Relentless Challenge grant series targets strategic investments in localized initiatives.

“The Burroughs Enterprise, Startup, and Technology Innovation Lab is a mind-shift initiative meant to bring awareness of fast-growing entrepreneurship opportunities to Benedict College students,” noted Dr. Tracy Dunn, Dean of the Tyrone Adam Burroughs School of Business and Entrepreneurship and author of the Relentless Challenge grant. “The program will develop a framework through the utilization of seminars, team projects, a newly formed Founders Lecture Series, and a cross-pollination of disciplines to create a culture of student innovation and entrepreneurship.”

“South Carolina is home to a unique and budding entrepreneurial spirit, one in which we are excited to continue to invest. Our state’s knowledge economy and start-up culture play an integral part in diversifying our innovation economy, helping recruit and retain high-tech projects,” said Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III. “Congratulations to each of the grant recipients, and we’re excited to see what they will accomplish and how they help continue to set South Carolina apart.”

Since 2013, the S.C. Commerce Office of Innovation has awarded more than $7.5 million in local innovation projects to 52 organizations. Available grant funds that are uncommitted in any grant cycle are carried forward for future innovation projects, such as the newly announced Palmetto Venture Fellowship.