Education & Training

The Academic Partnership Engagement Experiment education and training capability offers in-person mentoring, online training programs and scalable educational content that is focused on increasing academic and industry engagement and partnerships with the Department of the Air Force.

APEX education and training capabilities include:

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U.S. Air Force Small Business Innovation Research / Small Business Technology Transfer Training Tools - online multimedia training to improve proposer awareness of and interaction and transition potential with the Department of the Air Force. APEX mentor-manager consultants mentor APEX challenge teams on Department of the Air Force transition opportunities and commercialization best-practices.
Massive Open Online Courses - video and web-based content on SBIR / STTR programs and additional topics of utility tailored to the academic and partner small-business community.

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Open Campus / Innovation University - online training to improve academic awareness of and interaction and transition potential with the Department of the Air Force.
Education and Mentorship Programs for Academia and Industry - a mentorship program modeled after the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps and Industry-University Collaborative Research Centers and which continues for the project period of performance and assists with transition.
I-Corps for Technology Transition - aids in identifying and engaging federal opportunities and provides commercialization executive consultants on projects, who can identify commercial opportunities. APEX mentor-managers and consultants focus on Department of the Air Force and Department of Defense funding, and assists participants during their navigation of the U.S. Air Force SBIR / STTR programs, commercialization and facilitates transition.
Workforce Development - a holistic framework for building innovation, leadership and cultural competence in organizations and companies throughout the APEX footprint, which aligns with DoD and Department of the Air Force priorities. Workforce development includes experiential learning activities, competency model development, organizational development interventions and professionally credentialed programs.
Personnel Exchange Programs - brings awareness of the U.S. Air Force SBIR / STTR programs into the academic community and connects innovators with the U.S. Air Force SBIR / STTR ecosystem, and strengthens, publicizes and engages existing visiting researcher and graduate internship programs.

MOOC

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Team

Dr. David Rude

Education & Training Director

Dr. Dave Rude has 40 years of federal government experience in talent development, financial management and international relations. Dr. Rude previously served as Chief Learning Officer of the Department of Defense and National Nuclear Security Administration. He holds a Bachelor of Science of Business Administration, an MPA and a Doctor of Education in Human and Organizational Learning.

Ms. Gretchen Capogna

Training Lead

Ms. Gretchen Capogna has eight years’ experience as a DoD government contractor. She’s coordinated STEM programs for the Air Force Research Laboratory and partnership collaborations between the U.S. Air Force and American universities. Ms. Capogna has an extensive background in education and has directed education programs for the U.S. Air Force at multiple bases in the U.S. and Europe. Ms. Capogna has a Bachelor of Political Science and Legal Studies.