America’s Seed Fund Road tour begins southern swing April 2 in Little Rock
The 2024 Road Tour is hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center in cooperation with the Arkansas APEX Accelerator.
By Mary Hightower
U of A System Division of Agriculture
Feb. 15, 2024
Fast facts:
- Event runs from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
- Participants can register online
- Registration cost is $55
(350 words)
(Newsrooms: with art)
LITTLE ROCK — America’s Seed Fund Road tour will start its swing through the South with an April 2 stop in Little Rock at the headquarters of the Cooperative Extension Service.
The 2024 Road Tour is hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center in cooperation with the Arkansas APEX Accelerator. The program, which begins at 8:30 a.m. and runs to 2:30 p.m., includes an overview of America's Seed Fund, panel and networking with Arkansas-based resources for innovators, pitches from representatives of federal agencies to businesses, and one-on-one meeting opportunities with federal agency representatives.
Cost to register is $55 and the registration deadline is April 2, at 3 p.m. Central. Participants can register online. The event will be held at the extension service HQ at 2301 S. University Ave., Little Rock, Arkansas.
The tour is a national outreach effort meant to connect innovators and entrepreneurs to technology funding opportunities provided through the Small Business Innovation Research, or SBIR, and Small Business Technology Transfer, or STTR programs. (See related story)
Melanie Berman, who is the director of the Arkansas APEX Accelerator, said, “Participants of the Arkansas stop of America’s Seed Fund Road Tour will be connected to the program directors who manage America’s Seed Fund, enabling participants to take their SIBR/STTR journey to the next level.”
“They will learn about the SBIR/STTR program grants for small business innovation research/ small business technology transfer and receive assistance in matching their innovative ideas to a federal agency,” she said.
“The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is actively trying to identify for-profit entities in Arkansas that operate in the key technology areas the U.S. federal government needs,” Berman said. “Anyone interested in this space should attend the event and request a one-on-one meeting with federal agency representatives.”
Stops on the Southern Road Tour include Jackson, Mississippi, on April 3, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on April 4; and Houston on April 5.
The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense. It is embedded with the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen
agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption
of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative
Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work
within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media contact: Mary Hightower
mhightower@uada.edu