We're working together to help all 105 counties.

K-State 105 is collaborating with our partners on projects that advance economic prosperity in Kansas. These projects are supported with state funding and K-State 105 is leveraging additional funding from partnering organizations.

Learn more about some of our funded projects below.

We're continuing to add to this website — more projects and more information coming soon!

K-State 105 projects

K-State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative

K-State 105 and NetWork Kansas are working together to support innovative community-based projects focused on entrepreneurship and small business development.

Through the K-State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative, K-State 105 funding is supporting collaborative community projects that involve NetWork Kansas and K–State Research and Extension. Together, the partners are leveraging resources and creating new ways to foster economic growth and community development in Kansas.

Learn more about the K-State 105 Entrepreneurial Blueprint Initiative funding opportunity.

Primary partners involved:

Locations involved:

Project locations will be determined through the application process, but are connected to NetWork Kansas' 75 E-Communities across the state.

Expanding small business development in northwest Kansas

Two universities — Kansas State University and Fort Hays State University — as well as two K-State 105 partners — NetWork Kansas and the Innovation Center — are working together to expand the service offerings of the FHSU-led Small Business Development Center in northwest Kansas.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

The Kansas Small Business Development Center at Fort Hays State University serves the following counties: Barton, Cheyenne, Cloud, Decatur, Ellis, Ellsworth, Gove, Graham, Jewell, Lincoln, Logan, Mitchell, Norton, Osborne, Ottawa, Pawnee, Phillips, Rawlins, Republic, Rooks, Rush, Russell, Saline, Sheridan, Sherman, Smith, Thomas, Trego and Wallace.

More information:

Digital ambassador program

The digital ambassador program is a train-the-trainer, volunteer-led effort to address the broadband knowledge and affordability gap in Kansas.

View a one-page PDF that gives more information about the digital ambassador program.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Several K-State Research and Extension districts:

More information:

Bringing new life to old buildings

The K-State Technology Development Institute is working with the Innovation Center in northwest Kansas to create digital twins of underutilized buildings to provide developers with dimensionally accurate 3D models of the buildings. This aids in redevelopment plans and cost estimates to put the buildings back into use.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Know your water

Know Your Water is addressing issues related to public health, workforce sustainability and water resource resilience in Kansas communities. Community leaders are partnering with university faculty and students to connect with urban and rural residents to educate and raise awareness through private well testing.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Several K-State Research and Extension districts:

More information:

Read a story from the North Central Region Water Network abut the Know Your Water project.

E-Navigator partnership with StartUp Hutch

K-State 105 is partnering with StartUp Hutch to expand entrepreneurial services in Reno County by adding an Entrepreneur Navigator, or E-Navigator, to StartUp Hutch.

The E-Navigator will be a pilot program that connects and convenes local entrepreneurs, fosters collaborations and supports new ventures in Reno County.

Partners involved:

Location involved:

Reno County

Fostering entrepreneurial ecosystem expansion with Douglas County CORE

K-State 105 is partnering with Douglas County CORE to help local entrepreneurs start and grow businesses in Douglas County.

Douglas County CORE will be adding an executive director to design, market, promote and deliver programming that attracts entrepreneurs. The director will also work with entrepreneurs to identify gaps and resources to help grow their businesses.

Partners involved:

Location involved:

Douglas County

Collaboration with GO Topeka and the Plug and Play Program

A K-State 105 collaboration with GO Topeka will help to engage and provide value to start-up companies within the Plug and Play program, with a focus on the animal health and ag tech sectors.

K-State's expertise and capabilities in both areas can help provide technical assistance to these early stage companies and help ensure their success and expanding operations in the region.

Partner involved:

GO Topeka

Location involved:

Shawnee County

Rural Ag Health Community Health Worker project

The Rural Ag Health Community Health Worker project is improving and sustaining the health and safety of rural Kansans and the agricultural workforce.

The project is establishing resource and service hubs staffed by community health workers who are co-supervised by local K-State Research and Extension units and health care partners.

Partners involved:

Several K-State partners:

Other partners include:

Locations involved:

Several K-State Research and Extension offices and districts:

Other counties involved include:

Riley County
Sedgwick County
Shawnee County
Wyandotte County

Food, agriculture and health care integration in northwest Kansas

The integration of food systems with health care pathways holds immense potential for improving the health and economic vitality of northwest Kansas.

The K-State Research and Extension Twin Creeks Extension District is hosting a series of discussions around food systems that are examining health care pathways for the local food system as well as new markets for farmers through existing pathways such as the Food as Medicine and Community Health Program.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

K-State Research and Extension, Twin Creeks Extension District: Decatur, Graham, Norton and Sheridan counties

Housing prototypes and solutions for revitalizing communities

Affordable housing solutions: Building a net zero carbon microhome

This project is building a microhome in the Flint Hills region that can be scaled as an affordable and sustainable home.

Partners involved:

Location involved:

Riley County

Workforce development for careers in construction and design

Improving environmental systems for early care and education facilities

This project addresses the gap in understanding of early care and education facilities in Kansas and recommendations for quality child care environments.

The project provides the opportunity to develop resources for existing child care programs, in addition to those planning new programs or locations, in search of a building facility suitable for faculty and staff well-being and capable of providing optimal environments for student learning and development.

As part of this project, the K-State Technology Development Institute is using its state-of-the-art NavVis scanning system to provide 3D model information of each facility that can then be translated into working drawings for the early care and education facilities.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Edwards County
Marion County
Pottawatomie County
Wichita County

American Honey Institute: Workforce training and microcredential

Several partners are working together to develop the American Honey Institute and expand its training program. They are adding commercial and master level courses to enable world-class training at K-State and teach beekeeping at any level.

Partners involved:

Location involved:

Riley County and statewide

Community facilitators

To help meet community development demands across the state, K-State Research and Extension is expanding its number of community facilitators to 50. Community facilitators include extension professionals who are trained in community leadership development, facilitation, community needs assessment and community strategic planning and implementation.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Strengthening nonprofit board capacity through leadership development

This project will address the need to extend nonprofit board engagement and effectiveness in more communities across Kansas.

The project will create a pilot program that involves leadership development activities designed to build understanding of the role and structure of boards and develop capacity in community members to exercise leadership as a board member.

If the pilot program is successful, it could be expanded to other communities in Kansas.

Partner involved:

Location involved:

Marshall County and statewide

Ecosystem Services Market Consortium

Kansas State University has become a member of the Ecosystem Services Market Consortium, or ESMC. The consortium is at the forefront of advancing ecosystem services markets and aims to enhance environmental conservation and sustainable land management.

Membership in ESMC offers K-State valuable opportunities for collaboration, knowledge sharing and staying informed about the latest developments in ecosystem services markets. It also allow K-State to actively contribute to the advancement of ecosystem services markets and demonstrates a commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainability.

Partners involved:

Location involved:

Statewide

Digital health clinic and translational research hub

This project aims to develop phase one of a comprehensive network of digital health clinics and health research hubs within targeted K-State Research and Extension offices across rural counties in Kansas.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Locations will be determined as part of the project

Workforce training for physician assistant students in women’s health

The K-State physician assistant program is addressing workforce shortages in specialized medical fields, particularly in women's health, which has been identified as one of the specialties facing significant preceptor shortages nationwide.

This project will support preceptors who will train and supervise physician assistant students during their clinical rotations. This will enhance K-State's ability to retain health care professionals in Kansas and ensure students receive the necessary training to serve medically underserved areas.

Partner involved:

K-State College of Health and Human Sciences, physician assistant program

Locations involved:

Statewide

Food as Medicine and Community Health Program

K-State Olathe and a working group of partners are conducting an environmental scan to identify strategic opportunities and partnerships to establish a center for interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary research focused on food as medicine and community health.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities conference

K-State Research and Extension and several partners are working together to promote small communities and highlight people, businesses and best practices for creating an entrepreneurial mindset.

These partners are planning a Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities conference for June 2025. The conference will aim to expand equitable entrepreneurial capacity by sharing knowledge, tools and resources with Kansans.

Conference host community:

The Connecting Entrepreneurial Communities conference will take place in a host community that must be a small city with a population of less than 10,000 people.

Applications for host communities are being accepted until Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. Learn more and apply to be a host community.

Partners involved:

Location involved:

The conference host community will be determined as part of the conference planning process.

NetWork Kansas partnership work

K-State 105 and NetWork Kansas are working together build entrepreneurship support and programming across the state. The collaborative work connects with programming at NetWork Kansas' 75 E-Communities across the state and involves resource partners and statewide organizations that provide business building services.

Partners involved:

Locations involved:

75 E-Communities across the state

More projects and more information coming soon!

Read stories about some of our K-State 105 projects.

If you are unable to access the documents and require an alternative format, please email jtidball@k-state.edu.

Projects

We're working together to help all 105 counties.

K-State 105 projects