South Carolina State Museum named 2025 InventEd Regional Summit Awardee

Museum receives national recognition for advancing creativity and problem solving in education

The South Carolina State Museum is proud to announce that it has been selected by the InventEd Network as one of this year’s InventEd Regional Summit Awardees. The museum is one of only four organizations nationwide to receive a $25,000 award as part of InventEd’s pilot Regional Summit program.

The honor recognizes the museum’s leadership in nurturing and showcasing invention, innovation and entrepreneurship across South Carolina. The State Museum’s proposal was chosen from a highly competitive pool of applications representing universities, museums and nonprofit organizations across 15 states. The InventEd review committee cited the museum’s innovative approach to strengthening the invention education ecosystem and its commitment to connecting diverse stakeholders.

The award funds will be used to support the museum’s upcoming 250 Years of South Carolina Innovation Regional Summit in 2026. Against the backdrop of America’s 250th Birthday, the summit will bring educators, inventors, and entrepreneurs together with government, community, and industry leaders to identify strategies that strengthen the invention education pipeline and prepare South Carolina’s youth for future careers in technology and innovation. In addition, the research gathered at the Summit will support the museum’s Reimagine the Experience campaign and its upcoming Innovation Wing, a hands-on space where visitors of all ages can explore creativity, problem solving and invention.

“This recognition from InventEd underscores the museum’s ongoing commitment to inspiring creativity and innovation across South Carolina,” said Dr. Jeffrey Brodie, State Museum chief content and engagement officer. “The Regional Summit and Innovation Wing will allow us to bring together educators, entrepreneurs and community leaders to empower the next generation of inventors in our State and beyond.”

Regional Summits bring together educators, organizations, and community and program leaders to share best practices, celebrate innovation and strengthen regional ecosystems for creative learning. InventEd supports educators and innovators, programs, researchers, educators, students and others who use invention education to empower students to solve real-world problems through creativity, collaboration and empathy. For more information about InventEd, visit inventioneducation.org.

Details on the museum’s InventEd Regional Summit will be announced in 2026. For more information, visit scmuseum.org.

About the South Carolina State Museum

Since opening in 1988, the South Carolina State Museum has been committed to collecting, preserving and showcasing the rich culture, art, natural history, technology and innovation of the Palmetto State. Through a comprehensive collection of over 1.1 million objects and four floors of stimulating exhibitions and displays housed within the historic Columbia Mills Building, the State Museum provides educational environments that entertain, inspire and enrich the lives of millions of visitors and students from across South Carolina.