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Incubation
Below are some recent success stories in which our students and graduates—recipients of our incubation support—have played a critical role in social innovation endeavors.
Sustainable Local Agriculture Project
This student-driven and ISI-advised research and enterprise development effort is examining strategies for re-establishing a local food network in Southwestern Pennsylvania. A Fall 2007 problem-definition phase set the stage for further exploration and implementation of solutions—ranging from a mentorship program to energy and finance innovations—for integrating local food into the region’s diet and making local agriculture more economically sustainable.
Charter Education Collaborative
Four Heinz students have designed the Charter Education Collaborative to provide products and services—including advocacy, management and technology consulting, and information resources generated through research—to support the development of high-quality charter schools in Western Pennsylvania.
GTECH Strategies
Social entrepreneurs are on a mission to transform Pittsburgh’s vacant urban and industrial lots. Based on research they conducted at Heinz College, three recent graduates created GTECH Strategies (Growth Through Energy and Community Health) to reclaim idle land to create both energy and jobs. Today, they're growing crops like switchgrass and canola plants, which not only serve as raw material for clean-burning biofuels, but also help detoxify the ground. The process elevates property values and serves as a bridge to commercial or residential development. They're also developing a Green Job Corps program to prepare adolescents and young adults for entry-level jobs in environmental enterprises. As a result of their innovative approach to brownfield reclamation, they have been named 2008 Echoing Green Fellows.