PHILADELPHIA--(March 6, 2017) – America was built on the twin bedrocks of immigration and entrepreneurship. In 2017, the University City Science Center will shine a light on immigrant entrepreneurs whose discoveries, inventions and contributions have transformed our world as it solicits nominations for its Innovators Walk of Fame. The Call for Nominations opens Monday, March 6, 2017 and runs through Friday, May 19, 2017.
The Innovators Walk of Fame (IWOF) celebrates Philadelphia’s innovation story by honoring individuals who have made groundbreaking contributions to the scientific and entrepreneurial communities. Launched in 2013 to commemorate the Science Center’s 50th anniversary, the Innovators Walk of Fame highlights the diverse tradition of discovery and innovation in the Greater Philadelphia region. Past honorees have made groundbreaking contributions to the scientific and entrepreneurial communities that have revolutionized the local, regional and global landscape
As the Science Center examines Greater Philadelphia’s innovation story through different prisms, the third class of the Innovators Walk of Fame celebrates the immigrant entrepreneurs who have transformed the world with their ideas, inventions, and creativity.
“This talented and motivated group is creating technologies and products that are transforming our world – and our economy,” says Science Center President & CEO Stephen S. Tang, Ph.D., MBA. “When immigration and entrepreneurship intersect, magic can – and often does – happen. The Innovators Walk of Fame will recognize these brilliant people, their bright ideas, the companies they form and the jobs they create.”
Nominees are not limited by industry or type of innovation. Instead, successful nominations will complete this sentence: “If not for this immigrant entrepreneur, the world would be a lesser place because…..”
Nominees, living or deceased must have a connection to the Greater Philadelphia region (including southern New Jersey and northern Delaware). To submit a nomination, visit www.sciencecenter.org/discover/iwof by May 19, 2017.
Inductees to the Innovators Walk of Fame will be announced at the Science Center’s Nucleus event on September 14, 2017.
Innovators Walk of Fame promotional partners for 2017 include African American Chamber of Commerce; American Heart Association; Arts + Business Council of Greater Philadelphia; Association for Women in Science, Philadelphia Chapter; Alliance of Women Entrepreneurs; British American Business Council; Campus Philly; The Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia; The Chemical Heritage Foundation; Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce; Citizen Diplomacy International Philadelphia; City of Philadelphia; Delaware BioScience Association; Delaware State Chamber of Commerce; Drexel University Charles D. Close School of Entrepreneurship; Economy League of Greater Philadelphia; Flying Kite/Keystone Edge; French American Chamber of Commerce; Global Philadelphia Association (GlobalPhilly); Governor's Advisory Commission on Latino Affairs; HIAS Pennsylvania; Inspiring Women in STEM; International House Philadelphia; Knowledge@Wharton; LATISM (Latinos in Tech, Innovation and Social Media; Life Sciences PA; Med City News; Mt. Airy USA - Philadelphia Immigrant Innovation Hub; Network of Women in Computer Technology; New Jersey Chamber of Commerce; New Jersey Technology Council; Penn Wharton Entrepreneurship; Pennsylvania Commission on Asian Pacific American Affairs; Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers (SBDC); Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau/ PHL Life Sciences/PHL Diversity; Philadelphia Alliance for Capital and Technology (PACT); Philadelphia Free Library; Philadelphia Israel Chamber of Commerce; Philadelphia Science Festival; Philly Startup Leaders; Technical.ly Philly; Technology Forum of Delaware; Temple University Fox School of Business and Management’s Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute (IEI); Welcoming Center for New Pennsylvanian’s; WHYY (NewsWorks); The Wistar Institute; UD Horn Program in Entrepreneurship; Villanova University Center for Innovation, Creativity and Entrepreneurship; Women’s Opportunities Resource Center; World Trade Center of Greater Philadelphia; Young Involved Philadelphia.
About the Science Center
Located in the heart of uCity Square, the Science Center is a mission-driven nonprofit organization that catalyzes and connects innovation to entrepreneurship and technology commercialization. For 50+ years, the Science Center has supported startups, research, and economic development in the life sciences, healthcare, physical sciences, and emerging technology sectors. As a result, graduate firms and current residents of the Science Center’s incubator support one out of every 100 jobs in the Greater Philadelphia region and drive $13 billion in economic activity in the region annually. By providing resources and programming for any stage of a business’s lifecycle, the Science Center helps scientists, entrepreneurs and innovators take their concepts from idea to IPO – and beyond. For more information about the Science Center, go to www.sciencecenter.org
