Denise Canales, Director of Innovation – North Texas Sector, Texas A&M Innovation & Texas A&M Fort Worth

In an interview with Invest:, Denise Canales outlined Texas A&M’s strategic efforts to position itself in North Texas, focusing on private-sector partnerships and innovation in fields like healthcare, gaming, agriculture, and aerospace. She highlighted plans for fostering entrepreneurship and commercialization through collaborative spaces on the upcoming Fort Worth campus.

What efforts are in place to start positioning Texas A&M in North Texas? 

A lot of the work we’re doing right now is under the radar because there’s no official campus building yet. We will open the first building in 2026, but we are not waiting until the building opens. We are activating many initiatives now. When we officially open, our programs and initiatives will be well underway. For example, our School of Performing, Visual, and Fine Arts is already making strides here. That school encompasses everything from dance to music, virtual production, and more, all under one department. The city and county have been generous in their support of our activities as have private companies within the region. 

We already have students working and attending classes in private sector virtual production studios and tech companies around the city. These partnerships allow students to gain hands-on experience in the field, which is invaluable. We’re also advancing in other sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, and aerospace, all as part of a broader goal to accelerate the entrepreneurial, startup, and commercialization sectors here. My role specifically involves identifying valuable assets in these industries that we can commercialize and help bring to market. 

Looking ahead, the Fort Worth campus is intended to be an innovation hub within the city’s designated Innovation District. This focus will attract startups and create an environment within which these young companies have a good chance to succeed. There is always risk, however, Texans tend to take those risks and over time tend to come out ahead. 

In addition to focusing on the young companies, we are putting efforts in engagement with larger private-sector companies. We’ve already seen tech companies relocate their headquarters or establish satellite offices in Fort Worth in anticipation of the campus opening. They want to be part of this ecosystem before the doors open.

What makes North Texas an ideal hub for the emerging bioscience and biotech sector?

This region has all the key ingredients. We have the necessary funding and a skilled workforce, plus the advantage of a population that’s steadily moving to Texas. North Texas has a culture of risk-taking and a commitment to the greater good, which sets it apart from other regions. That mentality plays out in daily interactions and collaborative efforts.

For instance, we have our main campus in Fort Worth, but we’re also dedicating resources to projects like the National Center for Therapeutics Manufacturing at Pegasus Park. We are hoping to get the Center for Advanced Aviation Technologies in North Texas, and we are growing our dental and medical education programs in the area. We are also building collaborations to enhance our AI in Medicine program by connecting our College of Medicine with the region’s four largest clinical healthcare systems.  This broad, collegial, and altruistic approach defines how the region operates.

There’s a strong sense of collaboration in the region. How is Texas A&M aligning with this ecosystem?

At Texas A&M, we’ve taken a strategic approach. A few years ago, we began analyzing the existing and emerging business sectors in the region, those that are thriving, burgeoning, and may be flying under the radar. We’ve identified key industries, such as healthcare, biotech, AI/ML in medicine, agriculture, aerospace, aviation, and defense. Now we look at the intersections of those industries. These might seem unrelated, but they often intersect. For example, aerospace and agriculture intersect around astronaut nutrition, which ties into life sciences and biotech. Visualization and gaming technology intersects with helicopter heads-up displays and medical education programs, for example. It is at the points of intersection that we see the most opportunity.

We’ve intentionally aligned our efforts with the region’s strengths. We are strategically bringing specific units to Fort Worth that align with and can accelerate the types of opportunities just described.

Additionally, we’ve engaged directly with local companies to understand their workforce needs. We’ve asked: What kind of employees are you struggling to find? What kind of training is required? From there, we’ve developed programs to address these gaps. Instead of simply imposing our vision on the region, we’ve prioritized listening to local needs and tailoring our initiatives accordingly.

What initiatives are in place to engage with local entrepreneurs and develop interest among students?

We’re developing “The Hub,” a center for entrepreneurship in College Station. The idea is to train students in entrepreneurship, help them develop their ideas, and provide funding. When these companies are ready to grow, we envision them moving off-campus and into regions like North Texas, which we see as an ideal place for these ventures. We are also starting up a venture group in College Station, within the Innovation team which will also move our companies forward and I hope to Fort Worth specifically. On the ground here in Fort Worth, we work closely with the Fort Worth Tarrant County Innovation Partnership and U3 Advisors. They have been essential in our early work, and I anticipate will continue to be so. 

On our Fort Worth campus, we’re dedicating square footage specifically for startups. This space will serve as an incubator and accelerator, with support from private companies to enhance our efforts. We want to provide space resources like hot desks, small labs, or computer lab space for new companies with small teams. We will also assist with finances, human resources, and ancillary services to support founders. The establishing of the new company can feel daunting, but the early challenges are things all founders have to get through. No need to reinvent the wheel. We want to help pave the way for people.  A good example of this already underway are the clinics offered by our acclaimed law school. The innovation team will be partnering into these existing clinics to provide even more assistance. This type of work is happening right now, and we do all of this not just for A&M assets. A&M’s core values are respect, excellence, leadership, loyalty, integrity, and selfless service. You see this in how we engage within the community.

We want to connect founders with more seasoned founders in the region so they have access to expertise when things get challenging, as they always do in the process of growing a business. By putting these startups in proximity to each other and experts, we’re creating a collaborative environment where entrepreneurs have the best chance of success and can have the support to navigate the early years.

We anticipate a lot of tech-based startups, particularly employing AI, gaming, and visualization innovations in the healthcare sector. 

How do you view the higher education sector in North Texas as a whole?

North Texas is home to many distinguished academic institutions and they’re all contributing to the region’s growth. The University of Texas system has had a long-standing presence in the region with multiple locations. Texas A&M is newer to the area, but we’re growing rapidly. We are contributing to the ecosystem meaningfully and we have not yet opened the doors to the first building on campus. You’re also seeing satellite campuses pop up across North Texas. UT Arlington, for example, is expanding to the west of Fort Worth. We are thrilled about this type of growth for us and our colleagues at other institutions of higher education. You need a density of excellent institutions of higher ed to ignite the innovation hub. Business will not thrive around one isolated institution; you must have a density of elite academics who play well together and with the private sector. We have that.

These relationships and activities aren’t always smooth sailing of course. It’s tough work we are taking on, but it is important work. It will have a positive impact on humankind in the region and beyond when we succeed. This spirit of collaboration, combined with private-sector engagement, is rare and essential and is allowing us to move forward fast. At the end of the day, a university is more than its building. It’s the people, the relationships we form, and the work we do together. 

How is Texas A&M addressing affordability, especially for students facing financial barriers?

We’re addressing this in a few ways, but it is interesting to note that A&M offers the highest ROI among Texas public universities. Graduates can expect higher earnings compared to other Texas institutions, with an average ROI of over $800,000. And this is coupled with one of the lowest tuition rates among public universities in the United States. Basically, it’s a great investment whether it is self-funded or if assistance is needed. 

Other programs which help students with financial barriers obtain education include jobs which pay and also solidify a place of employment upon graduation. We work with community colleges to create a pipeline if that is needed, and we collaborate and have programs with K-12 schools to prepare students for higher education and increase their success rate. We also have robust certificate programs. For example, our law school offers online certificates in areas like intellectual property law, enabling professionals to gain expertise without committing to a full law degree. These programs provide pathways to higher income without the financial burden of a four-year degree.

With all of these vehicles for designing a student’s path forward, it is not a surprise that the percentage of A&M students who graduate debt free is above the national average. 

What are your priorities leading up to the campus opening and the next two to three years?

We open in 2026, which is fast approaching. I give great compliments to our development, design, and facilities teams in their work on making this campus come to life, and our generous supporters of this effort. We have tremendous partners in this work who are generous and understand the vision of what we are building. 

In the next two to three years, our priorities include but are not limited to educating faculty, students, and others in the ecosystem about the opportunities for commercializing their ideas. Many people don’t realize this is a viable avenue for them and we need an educated consumer so to speak. Continuing to develop partnerships with the private sector, activating work within our sectors now, and staffing up our AI in Medicine core are all top of mind.

When we are successful in these initiatives, and we look back on this time in our city’s history, we will be grateful for this current heavy lift as we enjoy a thriving regional innovation, educational, and economic state.