Cole Foundation Grant to benefit Innovation One

ANGOLA, Ind. –The Olive B. Cole Foundation of Fort Wayne has awarded a $300,000 grant to Trine University to help fund lab equipment for the Jim and Joan Bock Center for Innovation and Biomedical Engineering.

The Bock Center is currently under construction and is expected to be completed by this fall. The center will house Trine's Innovation One (i1), a venture that brings ideas to market by providing expertise and services to help promote economic growth in Northeast Indiana, and an assortment of laboratories stocked with state-of-the-art equipment.

"This generous grant from the Olive B. Cole Foundation enables us to offer valuable experiences for our students as they work in the labs and use the equipment," said Earl D. Brooks II, Trine president.  "Cole Foundation is helping us create such a winning proposition. Innovation One collaborates with business and industry to provide real-world experience for our students. Companies and entrepreneurs benefit from Trine's expertise and research capabilities, helping to fuel economic development."

The grant will help fund laboratory equipment, test equipment and other instrumentation needed to support business and industry as well as entrepreneurs.

"The Cole Foundation recognizes the value of Trine's Innovation One and is pleased to be a part of this exciting initiative," said Maclyn Parker, president of the foundation. "We are eager to see what Trine and Innovation One can accomplish."

Innovation One has already formed corporate partnerships with two area companies, Rieke Corp. and Metal Technologies, to enhance plastics engineering and cast metals programs at Trine. In addition, i1 has completed more than 20 projects with area companies and manufacturers.

Innovation One offers a range of services that enables students from every area of study to get involved. Among the services offered are engineering consulting, prototyping, research and development, testing and assessment and market research.

For more information about Innovation One, visit www.Innovation1.org.

For more information about the Olive B. Cole Foundation, visit www.colefoundationonline.org.