NIC Engineering students use equipment in the NIC Venture Network to create a bailer that will collect and contain milfoil, an invasive aquatic plant. The students designed the bailer as part of their coursework and had the opportunity to fabricate their project into a working prototype.

Innovation and Community

As an open-access community college, North Idaho College recognizes there are many pathways to success. Meeting students and community members where they are and providing non-traditional entry points to higher education is crucial. NIC is focused on fostering creativity and flexibility that will serve the ever-evolving educational needs of the region.

To accomplish this goal, NIC is adapting to rapidly changing workforce needs by creating space for local innovation and promoting entrepreneurship across academic disciplines. Over the last few years, North Idaho College has centralized resources for student and community entrepreneurs and small businesses under the NIC Venture Network located in the Hedlund Building.

With restrictions necessitated by the global pandemic, the NIC Venture Network quickly adapted to continue to serve the community. On-campus non-profit partner Gizmo-CdA used their makerspace and the adjacent Rapid Prototype Lab to manufacture personal protective equipment for regional healthcare workers. The NIC Office of Entrepreneurship helped host weekly calls for the community with business leaders, healthcare leaders, elected officials, and regional experts with up-to-date information about COVID-19. NIC assumed co-management of the annual Northwest Entrepreneurship Competition, a long-standing partnership between institutions of higher education in Idaho and Washington. NIC hosted the competition, transitioning to an online event with a record number of high school and college student teams participating in the business plan competition.

The NIC Venture Network provides resources and support that North Idaho can rely on, now and in the future. As the current crisis wanes, these programs will adapt once again. New offerings are launching this fall, including Mission43 to support veterans starting small businesses, and the Venture Academy, which will give students intensive hands-on commercialization experience.

Learn more about NIC Venture Network

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