Ben Franklin News
The number of Lehigh University students who have worked with clients of the Ben Franklin Technology Partners of Northeastern Pennsylvania (BFTP/NEP) in projects through Lehigh University Enterprise Systems Center (ESC) has topped 2,000. The ESC is a key university resource to BFTP/NEP clients that provides pivotal technical expertise and support.
Linking regional early-stage technology firms and established manufacturer clients with the resources of Pennsylvania’s colleges and universities is an important part of BFTP/NEP’s mission. Lehigh University’s Enterprise Systems Center (ESC) has been a long-time economic development partner of Ben Franklin and the organizations have worked together for more than 30 years.
The proximity of BFTP/NEP’s Ben Franklin TechVentures® headquarters and award-winning business incubator on Lehigh’s Mountaintop Campus facilitates the mutually beneficial relationship among Ben Franklin client companies and university faculty, students, industry mentors, and consultants. The partnership helps companies by providing them with student workers who are bright, driven, and ambitious, and challenge assumptions. And the partnership provides students with real-world working experience in commercializing technology that prepares them to become the next generation of industry leaders in key technical sectors.
Since the start of the partnership, the ESC has employed more than 2,000 Lehigh students to support BFTP/NEP clients. The ESC has provided course-related hands-on experience to an additional 1,250 students.
About the Lehigh University Enterprise Systems Center
The Lehigh University Enterprise Systems Center (ESC) has been a national center of excellence in systems engineering and leadership development through experiential learning for several decades. The ESC engages students, professors, senior fellows, subject matter experts, community of practice executives, and industry partners to help companies develop new technologies or apply existing technologies to help them compete in a global marketplace.
Since its inception, the ESC has engaged in more than 1,000 research and development projects with more than 400 industry partners. Research and development efforts are driven by industry needs and focus on operations research, manufacturing systems, product and process innovation, supply chain and logistics analytics, and sustainability.
Dr. Emory Zimmers, Center Director, states “Our primary mission is twofold. The Enterprise Systems Center (ESC) is committed to helping students learn and develop leadership skills, while simultaneously providing value for our clients.” Coverage via Keystone Edge and Reading Eagle.
