MUSC named a founding partner in launch of first South Carolina Innovation Month
April 4, 2023
Deputy Secretary of Commerce Ashely Teasdel; South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III; Gov. Henry McMaster; MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS; and Bob Quinn, Executive Director of the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA)
The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) announced a partnership with the South Carolina Department of Commerce and South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) to launch, for the first time in the state’s history, South Carolina “Innovation Month” in April. The large-scale program is designed to celebrate the booming culture of innovation in the state as well as highlight meaningful outcomes of local innovations. A proclamation event, featuring S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster, was held April 3 at the S.C. Statehouse.
“Economies stay competitive through the development of new disruptive technologies,” said South Carolina Secretary of Commerce Harry M. Lightsey III. “That’s why S.C. Commerce is proud to partner with SCRA and MUSC on South Carolina’s inaugural Innovation Month. Communities across the state are coming together to celebrate and empower South Carolina’s thriving innovation ecosystem, and we are excited for all Innovation Month will bring.”
The partnership is part of a multiyear effort to take MUSC’s annual Innovation Week statewide. For the fifth year, MUSC will host its own Innovation Week, April 24-28. The yearly event is a showcase and celebration of the culture of innovation at MUSC observed during the last week of April. Innovation Week will now anchor South Carolina Innovation Month with events and sessions throughout all MUSC locations.
“We are excited that MUSC’s annual Innovation Week has grown into an event worthy of anchoring a statewide Innovation Month,” said Jesse Goodwin, Ph.D., chief innovation officer at MUSC. “I am proud of the trajectory of innovation in the state. This partnership aligns South Carolina on a collective and clear mission of innovative excellence that will result in a nationally recognized culture of innovation, not only at MUSC but for the entire state.”
In addition, interested parties will be able to attend events hosted by the three founding partners. A full list of events for the month can be found on the Innovation Month webpage, which will be a center point of events, activities and information about the growth of South Carolina’s innovation ecosystem. The website will be updated throughout the month with a growing list of events for media and entrepreneurs to attend statewide.
S.C. is currently ranked 13 in the country in Small Business Technology Transfer funding. MUSC has launched 51 active faculty startups and brought 33 products to market. By working with South Carolina’s only integrated academic health sciences center in the state, SCRA and S.C. Commerce gain a partner with an emphasis on growing a culture of innovation amongst thousands of providers and researchers who are dedicated to providing the highest-quality patient care and offering scientifically transformative studies to the people of South Carolina and beyond.
“MUSC is honored to serve as a founding partner in creating Innovation Month for the state of South Carolina,” said MUSC President David J. Cole, M.D., FACS. “Innovation is woven throughout our institutional DNA, and it fuels our commitment to transforming patient care, providing excellent health sciences education, and pursuing research discoveries that have impact for generations. South Carolinians can trust that at MUSC, our work will push the boundaries of what’s possible and enable a brighter, healthier future for all.”
About MUSC
Founded in 1824 in Charleston, MUSC is the state’s only comprehensive academic health system, with a unique mission to preserve and optimize human life in South Carolina through education, research and patient care. Each year, MUSC educates more than 3,200 students in six colleges – Dental Medicine, Graduate Studies, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing and Pharmacy – and trains more than 900 residents and fellows in its health system. MUSC brought in more than $298 million in research funds in fiscal year 2022, leading the state overall in research funding. MUSC also leads the state in federal and National Institutes of Health funding, with more than $220 million. For information on academic programs, visit musc.edu.
