Western Carolina University

Economic Development Administration - University Center

The Economic Development Administration, or EDA, is an agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce. The EDA's University Center Economic Development Program makes the resources of universities available to the economic development community. Institutions of higher education have extensive resources, including specialized research, outreach, technology transfer and commercialization capabilities, as well as recognized faculty expertise and sophisticated laboratories.

The EDA-supported University Center program is specifically designed to marshal the resources located within colleges and universities to support regional economic development strategies in regions of chronic and acute economic distress. The university centers, which EDA considers long-term partners in economic development, are required to devote the majority of their funding to respond to technical assistance requests originating from organizations located in the economically distressed portions of their service regions.

Collaborating partners include the Kimmel School’s Center for Rapid Product Realization, the Small Business and Technology Development Center (SBTDC) and the Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in WCU’s College of Business, whose efforts enable the EDA UC to assist individuals and companies in product commercialization and whose combined successes will improve the economic strength of the state, the region and the Southeast.