Seed Fund Road tour begins April 2

America’s Seed Fund Road tour will stop at the headquarters of the Cooperative Extension Service, 2301 S. University Ave., in Little Rock, from 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. April 2.

The 2024 Road Tour is hosted by the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center in cooperation with the Arkansas APEX Accelerator, according to a news release.

The program includes an overview of America’s Seed Fund, panel and networking with Arkansas-based resources for innovators, pitches from representatives of federal agencies to businesses, and one-on-one meeting opportunities with federal agency representatives, according to a news release.

The cost to register is $55 and the registration deadline is 3 p.m. April 2. Participants can register at https://asbtdc.ecenterdirect.com/events/70371980.

The tour is a national outreach effort meant to connect innovators and entrepreneurs to technology funding opportunities provided through the Small Business Innovation Research and Small Business Technology Transfer programs.

“Participants of the Arkansas stop of America’s Seed Fund Road Tour will be connected to the program directors who manage America’s Seed Fund, enabling participants to take their SIBR/STTR journey to the next level,” said Melanie Berman, who is the director of the Arkansas APEX Accelerator.

The Arkansas APEX Accelerator is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the Department of Defense. It is embedded with the Cooperative Extension Service, the outreach arm of the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.