Two dozen students from 11 universities across the state will be in Rome next week to begin a three-month entrepreneurship program sponsored by the Air Force Research Laboratory.

The goal of he Commercialization Academy is to assist with the transfer of technologies developed by the Department of Defense to the civilian marketplace.

Students will attend technology demonstrations in Utica and Syracuse, meet with researchers and private business leaders and work in teams to discover uses for select technologies in the private sector.

"This program offers students a rare opportunity to learn entrepreneurship in a fast-paced, collaborative environment and work with mentors to develop business strategies based on these technologies,” said Mike McCoy, serial entrepreneur and Founder of the Commercialization Academy.

“Through team exercises and coaching, they’ll learn how to frame problems and draw upon the resources in their environment. We want to train visionary leaders who can implement these business ideas and transform the economic landscape of a community.”

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