By Konner Gepner
Technology Development Institute
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025
Kansas State University’s Technology Development Institute is expanding its reach in rural Kansas communities by establishing the Rural Technology Innovation Assistant Program through a unique collaboration with the KSU Foundation.
Through a two-year, $1 million grant to the KSU Foundation from the Patterson Family Foundation, the institute’s new program will support and strengthen innovation-driven economic development in rural communities by helping innovators, entrepreneurs and small manufacturers accelerate product development, adopt advanced technologies and gain access to vital engineering and business resources.
“Our rural communities are full of talented innovators with great ideas, but they often lack access to the technical and business resources needed to turn those ideas into reality,” said Jeff Tucker, executive director of the Technology Development Institute, or TDI. “This investment from the Patterson Family Foundation allows us to close that gap by offering technical assistance, mentoring and development services that can truly move the needle for rural entrepreneurs.”
Through the Rural Technology Innovation Assistance Program, TDI will offer tailored support to help rural innovators navigate the complex journey from concept to commercialization.
This includes guiding entrepreneurs through early business and product planning, helping them validate ideas through prototyping and proof-of-concept development and providing hands-on design and engineering services to refine their innovations.
In addition, TDI will support conducting market analysis and development of commercialization strategies to help ensure these new products are successful in the marketplace. The program also invests in future talent by funding applied-learning internships for students from rural communities, giving them real-world experience and the ability to contribute to innovation efforts in the regions they call home.
The Patterson Family Foundation, based in Kansas City, Missouri, is a family-led foundation that extends the legacy of Neal and Jeanne Patterson. The Foundation’s mission, “Working together to help rural communities thrive,” is carried forward through strategic grantmaking and other collaborative initiatives that serve rural counties across Kansas and western Missouri.
The K-State Technology Development Institute in the Carl R. Ice College of Engineering is a U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration University Center. It has been the recipient of a grant from the Research and Entrepreneurship Federal Matching Grant Dollars Fund. TDI provides a broad range of engineering and business development services to both private industry and university researchers to advance the commercial readiness of new products or technologies.
