Office of the Vice President for Research
The Garden
Page Content
The USM Innovation and Commercialization Park and Accelerator
The USM Innovation and Commercialization Park and Accelerator were developed to drive economic development through technological innovation and commercialization. The park is situated on the University’s property surrounding Lake Sehoy and offers project-ready sites for innovative organizations seeking a dynamic environment for development and commercialization of new technologies and products.
The Accelerator serves business as an innovation center for accelerated technologies development, scale-up, validation, pilot manufacturing, and commercialization--all under the same roof. The Accelerator’s innovative approach involves a unique combination of a full-service 60,000-square-foot facility, including private offices and laboratories; testing, validation, and pilot production capabilities; along with world-class expertise in complete product development and commercialization. Clients have access to state-of-the-art equipment and amenities without tremendous overhead.
The Mississippi Polymer Institute is located within The Accelerator.
Contact: 601.266.5885
Mississippi Polymer Institute
The Mississippi Polymer Institute (MPI) was established in 1993 with a goal of growing high-tech polymer and polymer-related industries in the state.
MPI is the University’s industrial outreach extension that serves to foster business growth. It was born out of the School of Polymers and High-Performance Materials.
MPI strives to put the customer first and provide an environment that provides assistance to the entire advanced-material ecosystem. This starts at student outreach activities to increase interest and participation, then more advanced contributions to support product conceptualization-to-commercialization to grow businesses. At later stages this involves troubleshooting manufacturing issues and providing workforce training that enables companies to achieve new sustainable goals.
MPI’s capabilities include but are not limited to several aspects of material science: polymer synthesis, composite manufacturing, testing, compounding, extruding, molding, design, CAD modeling, 3D printing, workforce training, and educational outreach.
In addition to serving industry with dedicated staff, laboratories, and equipment, MPI leverages resources with the School of Polymers and High-Performance Materials when highly specialized knowledge or equipment benefits customers.
Contact: 601.266.4607