Ian McClure, J.D., the University of Kentucky’s associate vice president for research, innovation and economic impact and executive director of UK Innovate, has been appointed to serve on the National Advisory Council on Innovation & Entrepreneurship (NACIE) by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo.

“This is an important time for our nation’s innovation economy. The work of NACIE will be important to help advise and inform U.S. leadership related to polices and best practices to ensure equitable and inclusive innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems exist and thrive in our country,” said McClure. “I am thrilled to represent the experiences, dynamics and needs of the regions like Kentucky and the innovators and entrepreneurs that can lead our heartland region to be the next technology hubs of America.”

McClure is one of 32 leaders in technology, innovation, workforce development and academia who were selected from a pool of more than 260 nominations. Members will serve two-year terms.

NACIE council members will be charged with developing a National Entrepreneurship Strategy that strengthens America’s ability to compete and win as the world’s leading startup nation and innovator in critical emerging technologies, according to a May 26 news release. 

The council members will identify and recommend solutions to drive the innovation economy to make U.S. communities, businesses, and the workforce more globally competitive. This includes growing a skilled STEM workforce and removing barriers for entrepreneurs ushering innovative technologies into the market. The council also facilitates federal dialogue with the innovation, entrepreneurship and workforce development communities.

“We must invest further in our entrepreneurs and innovators so that America continues to lead the world in discovering and commercializing critical technologies. At the same time, we must better ensure that more communities throughout the country are included in the ecosystems that will generate these critical innovations. The Biden administration looks forward to tapping the expertise of the new NACIE members to build a better America and further strengthen our competitiveness on the global stage,” said Secretary Raimondo. “I applaud these individuals — leaders in their respective fields of industry, workforce development, academia, technology and innovation — for their commitment to serve.”

McClure provides oversight of UK Innovate, which includes the UK Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC), UK Innovation Connect for industry partnerships, Social Innovation, and Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training. He currently serves as chair of the Association of University Technology Managers Inc. (AUTM). He is also an advisory board member for the Oak Ridge Innovation Institute and Launch Blue, a member of the board of directors for the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), and is the past chair of OVALS, a regional organization of universities for technology transfer. He is a co-founder of Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV), the state-funded and KSTC-managed program providing IP and tech transfer services to all other universities in the state that do not currently have dedicated resources. McClure is a prinicipal investigator (PI) or co-PI on three federal grants (NIH, NIGMS and EDA) focused on tech-based economic development.

NACIE is a federal advisory committee managed by the U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship. For more about NACIE, visit www.eda.gov/oie/nacie/.