As a Franciscan institution, the university’s mission compels Alvernians to be like St. Francis and serve as a source of transformation for students, the institution, and the community. The O’Pake Institute for Economic Development and Entrepreneurship celebrates the Catholic and Franciscan tradition and plays a pivotal role in educating students for participation in a global economy.
Through Reading CollegeTowne, the O’Pake Institute continues its mission of transformation. The institute serves as a catalyst for educational and business expansion, including a student-centered business incubator in downtown Reading.
With our tiered branches, O’Pake will be able to provide a support system that can elevate aspiring and existing entrepreneurs as well as provide experiential learning opportunities for students, clients, and mentors.
Services are delivered through an integrated network of partners, mentors, staff, and student expertise. Fields include accounting, business development, communications, digital design, engineering, and marketing.
Alvernia University, RKL, Kozloff Stoudt Attorneys at Law, Mosteller & Associates and the O’Pake Institute are proud to sponsor the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership at Alvernia University.
This collaboration is designed to strengthen closely held businesses and provide support at every step of the business life cycle. The goal of the Center is to provide business owners and key personnel with timely and valuable information through a series of educational programs on relevant business topics.
The O’Pake Fellows Program provides elite undergraduate and graduate students with hands-on distinctive experiential learning opportunities. Students of high academic standing, from diverse majors and backgrounds, can work directly with regional entrepreneurs, small business owners, faculty researchers and industry leaders.
While fellows can grow both personally and professionally, they are also put in an environment where they can think outside the box, experiment, fail, grow and succeed. By creating this type of environment, students can transition into their desired professions while being creative and ethical leaders.
According to AUTM, Technology transfer, and the professionals who work in the field, change the world one discovery at a time. They’re responsible for successful innovation management, corporate engagement, protecting and licensing inventions to companies, new venture creation and incubation, and economic development. The O’Pake Institute is constantly seeking new discoveries! We offer assistance in Intellectual Property (IP) Training and feasibility analyses, IP management and valuation, and commercialization of intellectual property.
The institute has access to the Innovation Q Software and partnerships with IP Attorneys and licensing experts.
