Twelve University of Oregon students make up the first cohort of the Provost’s Innovation Student Fellowship program, priming the university to expand its entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The seven-month program is supported by the Provost’s Innovation Initiative and managed by the Lundquist Center for Entrepreneurship. It looks to educate students about the important role of ecosystem building in startup communities, while challenging them to expand the university’s own entrepreneurial ecosystem through student-led projects.

“We are excited to see the rich diversity of majors, backgrounds, and experiences embodied in this inaugural cohort,” said Andrew Nelson, the associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation and the academic director of the Lundquist Center. “We look forward to the fellows building on our growing entrepreneurial ecosystem and advancing the student entrepreneurial pathway.”

The fellows selected include every level of scholarship at the university--from undergraduates in their first year to PhD students—and span more than a dozen disciplines. Members of this cohort already have some experience with entrepreneurship, whether that be as a startup founder, as an intern with an accelerator or similar organization, or as a user of the university’s Innovation Partnership Services.

After a competitive application review, students selected as 2020-2021 Provost’s Innovation Student Fellows are