Missouri officials are preparing to award nine grants worth nearly $9 million to create so-called "Innovation Campuses" involving colleges and universities.
The program pairs universities and colleges with businesses to train students for jobs in high-demand fields. It's partly aimed at helping students earn their degrees faster and graduate with less debt.
Gov. Jay Nixon planned to discuss the grants Wednesday at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri State University in Springfield and Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph.
Earlier this year, the state announced the University of Central Missouri was receiving $500,000 from a community development block grant for an innovation campus in Lee's Summit.