Boise State University is among the 12 winners of the 100,000 Strong in the Americas Innovation Fund, a collaboration between the U.S. Department of State, U.S. embassies, Partners of the Americas, and national and global organizations working with Central America, Dominican Republic and U.S. higher education institutions. The fund helps create new models of academic exchange programs for underserved students throughout the Americas.
Boise State’s Center for Global Education partnered with the Universidad Tecnológica de Honduras and received $25,000 to support its project “Building Bridges Through Tech-Based Startups: Cultivating Hope and Creating Future for Young Entrepreneurs.”
“Our students will benefit from gaining perspectives on the factors that make tech-based startups successful in markets outside Idaho and the U.S.,” said Gonzalo Bruce, assistant provost in the Center for Global Education. “By connecting young entrepreneurs from two countries, we’ll provide an opportunity to form networks of entrepreneurs who can support each other as they experiment and test new ideas in the U.S., Honduras and across borders.”
The program combines global learning with economic development and innovation by building an international network of students, faculty, local entrepreneurs and non-governmental organizations in the U.S. and Honduras. It will combine in-person and virtual exchanges along with pitch competitions where students will present their innovative solutions.
Through this program, Bruce believes that entrepreneurial-minded students in Honduras will be able to dedicate their talents toward betterment of their communities and create prosperity and hope – a cornerstone solution to the issue of migration from Honduras.
“A country affected by brain drain is doomed to poverty and despair and the negative effects ripple throughout our region in the long run,” he said. “Empowering the youth of Honduras and the U.S. with tools to create a future, instill hope and foster prosperity will benefit all of us. This is the type of global impact that Boise State is committed to.”
Learn more about the Center for Global Education and stay tuned for updates on this project.