Division of Economic Development

The Division of Economic Development works to expand economic opportunity and prosperity in Arkansas through talent development, innovative research and technologies, community service, and place-making strategies.

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center at UA Fayetteville (ASBTDC,UAF) is part of a statewide network of university-based centers that work with all types of small businesses through confidential, on-on-one consultation at no cost to the client. The center serves six counties in Northwest Arkansas: Benton, Boone, Carroll, Madison, Newton, and Washington. With offices in Fayetteville and at The Collaborative in Bentonville, consultants and specialists offer services in business planning, financial analysis, marketing, and social media strategy to small business clients.

The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation creates and curates innovation and entrepreneurship experiences for students across all disciplines. Through the Brewer Family Entrepreneurship Hub, McMillon Innovation Studio, Startup Village, and Greenhouse at the Bentonville Collaborative, OEI provides free workshops and programs – including social and corporate innovation design teams, venture internships, competitions, and startup coaching. A unit of the Sam M. Walton College of Business and the Division of Economic Development, OEI also offers on-demand support for students who will be innovators within existing organizations and entrepreneurs who start something new.

The Office of Industry and Community Engagement (OICE) fosters strategic partnerships with industry and community organizations in the region and across the state to help them navigate and engage campus – a concierge service to create deeper ties with units across campus, facilitating holistic partnerships by understanding unmet needs.

The University of Arkansas Technology Development Foundation (UATDF) handles all affiliate, faculty research, communications, partnerships, and marketing inquiries for the Arkansas Research & Technology Park (ARTP), as well as leasing and building maintenance inquiries for the Enterprise and Innovation Centers. The mission of UATDF is to stimulate a knowledge-based economy in the state of Arkansas through partnerships that lead to new opportunities for learning and discovery, that build and retain a knowledge-based workforce and that spawn the development of new technologies that enrich the economic base of Arkansas.

The Arkansas Research and Technology Park is a knowledge community focused on innovation and technology development in association with the University of Arkansas and is rapidly gaining recognition as a hub for commercialization of emerging technologies.

Technology Ventures manages, protects, and commercializes the intellectual property portfolio of the University of Arkansas. Technology Ventures serves the university’s faculty, staff, and students as well as external inventors and entrepreneurs to disseminate knowledge, technology, and products to the public market to generate revenue and future research support.

The World Trade Center Arkansas is dedicated to growing bilateral trade for the state by delivering world class services, global connections, and export development programs to Arkansas businesses.

The Collaborative is the University of Arkansas education and research presence in Bentonville, and catalyst to propel the state’s innovation ecosystem. Bentonville is a special place, fueled by the migration of creators from all around the world. The University of Arkansas is uniquely qualified to accelerate innovation ecosystem development through workforce development, startup acceleration in strategic sectors, the application of data science, and the commercialization of research and technology.