The Leveraging Innovation to Grow High Tech and University Partnerships (LIGHT UP) Collaborative is multi-institution collaborative grant including the following institutions: State University of New York College of Technology at Canton, Rowan College of Burlington County, Marymount University, Alvernia University, Kean University, and Bowie State University. This collaborative aims to establish a community of practice to develop and enhance a research and innovation ecosystem that capitalizes on external partnerships to shape the STEM talent pipeline and workforce development. The LIGHT UP Collaborative, made up of six mid-Atlantic and Northeast institutions, represents a strategic region nationally in terms of STEM workforce development and industry clusters and is one of the most diverse regions in the country. The collaborative will make a significant impact on STEM industries by establishing a regional network to build capacity and capitalize on the strengths of each institution to advance research, entrepreneurship, and workforce development. Efforts will result in the promotion of innovative teaching, learning, and training for both faculty and students. Extending student experience beyond research and discovery into real-world application contributes to advancing technological innovation and STEM workforce development. Linking research with entrepreneurship drives the innovation needed for our nation to remain globally competitive. The LIGHT UP Collaborative project aims to advance a research-driven entrepreneurial enterprise and expand external partnerships. The project is designed to engage STEM students and faculty in a research-to-research entrepreneur full life-cycle approach to harness STEM talent in a regional innovation ecosystem that extends throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. The project will leverage each institution’s resources and expertise to develop and enhance an innovation research ecosystem and broaden current efforts in research commercialization and entrepreneurship. The LIGHT UP Collaborative focuses on three goals that will: (1) expand and improve each institutions’ structural support systems for economic development initiatives; (2) build a platform to drive more industry and government partnerships; and (3) increase innovation enterprise development. The LIGHT UP Collaborative will serve as a model for capacity building and partnership engagement through a community of practice. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.