InnoVision Awards, founding partners — the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC), the South Carolina Department of Commerce, and the South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) united today to celebrate the state’s most transformative minds.
Columbia, S.C. – The InnoVision Awards organization, in partnership with a growing coalition of South Carolina innovation leaders, today announced the launch of the fourth annual South Carolina Innovation Awareness Month (IAM), returning throughout April 2026. The month-long celebration began with an exclusive IAM 2026 Kickoff Breakfast convening entrepreneurs, researchers, policymakers, and business leaders committed to advancing South Carolina’s innovation ecosystem. Lt. Governor Pamela Evette was the keynote speaker.
“South Carolina’s success is driven by the strength of our people and our ability to turn ideas into opportunity. Innovation Awareness Month highlights the work happening across our state to advance new technologies, support businesses, and attract investment,” said Lt. Governor Pamela Evette, keynote speaker for the kickoff breakfast. “By supporting innovation, we are ensuring South Carolina remains competitive and prepared for the future.”
Now in its fourth year, IAM was born from a 2023 proclamation by Governor Henry McMaster declaring April as Innovation Awareness Month in South Carolina — a recognition of the state’s growing role as a national hub for technology, entrepreneurship, and research-driven economic development. Since that proclamation, the initiative has expanded each year, bringing together a broader coalition of institutions that are reshaping what South Carolina’s future looks like.
The IAM 2026 Kickoff Breakfast also featured remarks from national, state, and institutional leaders — including William “Bill” Kirkland, Interim President & CEO, South Carolina Research Authority, Julie Kunkle, Director of Global Business Development, South Carolina Department of Commerce, Todd Headley, CEO, Zucker Institute for Innovation Commercialization, MUSC, Susie Shannon, President & CEO, South Carolina Council on Competitiveness, Elizabeth Dougherty, Regional Outreach Director, U.S. Patent & Trademark Office, Hunter Freeman, Attorney, Kim, Lahey & Killough Law Firm, InnoVision Awards Chair, and Doug Kim, Immediate Past Chair, InnoVision Awards; Founding Attorney, Kim, Lahey & Killough Law Firm, which provided the breakfast.
###
Chartered in 1983 by the State of South Carolina as a public, nonprofit corporation, South Carolina Research Authority fuels the state’s innovation economy through the impact of its comprehensive services to technology-based startups, academia, and industry. SCRA provides funding and support to accelerate the growth of academic startups; high-quality lab and administrative workspaces; facilitation and funding for partnerships between and among industry, startups, and academic institutions; assistance and funding for the relocation of technology-based companies to South Carolina; and coaching and funding for startups that may also receive investments from its affiliate, SC Launch Inc.
Media Contact
Adrianne Grimes
SCRA Director of Marketing and Communications
