The Innovation Nexus Defined

Expanded Experiential Learning represents the Nexus’ commitment to extending health sciences education beyond traditional clinical training into the realm of innovation, entrepreneurship, and real-world problem solving.  

This pillar recognizes that tomorrow’s health sciences professionals must be more than exceptional clinicians; they must also be adaptive leaders, creative problem solvers, and innovative thinkers capable of addressing evolving health challenges. Through direct interactions with startup founders, community partners, and faculty experts, students gain skills and experiences that prepare them to navigate the complex intersection of healthcare delivery, technology innovation, and community impact.

Global Network Integration leverages Northeastern University’s distinctive position as a 13-campus global university system to connect Charlotte’s Innovation Nexus with researchers, faculty, entrepreneurs, and innovation hubs across continents. 

This pillar recognizes that breakthrough health sciences solutions often emerge at the intersection of diverse perspectives, methodologies, and experiences. By embedding Charlotte’s Nexus within Northeastern’s global innovation infrastructure, local partnerships benefit from international reach while maintaining deep roots in Charlotte’s unique health sciences ecosystem.

Research Collaboration establishes the Nexus as a bridge between Northeastern’s R1 research capabilities and the practical innovation needs of health sciences startups and community partners. 

This pillar creates pathways for meaningful research partnerships that advance both academic knowledge and real-world health solutions, positioning the Nexus as a catalyst for translational research that moves discoveries from laboratory to community impact. Within the Nexus framework, Research Collaboration facilitates connections between startup innovators seeking evidence-based validation, community partners addressing population health challenges, and university researchers with specialized expertise and methodological rigor.

The Healthcare Accelerator pillar positions the Nexus as a growth engine specifically designed for health sciences startups and innovative community organizations. 

This pillar provides startups with physical workspace, access to potential customers and users, connections to faculty expertise, innovative and eager-to-learn and students, and exposure to the operational realities of healthcare delivery. By embedding startups within the Charlotte campus, this pillar enables entrepreneurs to test solutions and products in a space built to create and build relationships with the health sciences organizations that partner with the university.

The Partner Ecosystem pillar recognizes that meaningful health innovation must extend beyond commercial startups to include nonprofit organizations, community health initiatives, and mission-driven entities working to address health equity, access, and social determinants of health. 

This pillar operates on the principle that health innovation must be inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the communities it aims to serve. The Partner Ecosystem ensures that innovation remains connected to community needs, that student learning includes exposure to diverse approaches to health challenges, and that the Nexus serves as a convening space where members learn from one another. 

Growth & Evaluation establishes the Nexus’ commitment to continuous improvement, data-informed decision making, and strategic evolution based on measurable outcomes and stakeholder feedback.  

This pillar ensures that the Nexus remains responsive to the changing needs of students, entrepreneurs, community partners, and the broader healthcare landscape while maintaining accountability for the impact it generates.