Gov. John Hoeven will speak at the UND Center for Innovation 25 th anniversary kickoff open house Thursday, Aug. 6.  The Center turned 25 years old Aug. 1, marking more than two decades of pace-setting innovations that have placed it among the country's signature entrepreneur centers.

The first event is a Community Open House from 3 to 5:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 6, at the Ina Mae Rude Entrepreneur Center (part of the Center for Innovation) located on the west end of the UND campus. There will be a short program at 4 p.m. at which Gov. Hoeven, UND President Robert Kelley, and others will speak. 

"We were one of the very first entrepreneur centers in the nation and were able to be a leader in the industry," said Center founder and director, Bruce Gjovig. "We will be celebrating throughout the year, and we are planning several activities to mark this milestone.

 "We've spent years building this center and its national reputation, so we're having an open house to share this milestone with entrepreneurs and our friends and supporters in the region," Gjovig said.

The media and public are welcome.

UND Center for Innovation Web site: www.innovators.net