A Syracuse University life trustee and his wife have donated more than $2 million to SU to help fund an “invention accelerator” and the establishment of a new research center at Link Hall.

The university on Friday announced that William “Bill” F. Allyn and his wife Janet “Penny” Jones gave $2.28 million to the university, inspired in part by the $100 million Invest Syracuse fundraising plan.

The money will be used by the College of Engineering and Computer Science as part of the college’s “Transforming Our Future” plan. The college wants to increase student enrollment on campus by 20 percent, “in areas demanded by the workforce” to more than 3,000 students, over the next 10 years, according to the plan.

The Allyn family’s donation will help fund the Bill and Penny Allyn Innovation Center, which will be situated in the southern portion of Link Hall, according to an SU News release. Of the total donation, $2 million will go toward the innovation center project, according to the release.

An additional $280,000 from the family will be used as funding for Invent@SU, a six-week invention program for undergraduate students to design, prototype and pitch product ideas.

“This gift advances two of our key institutional priorities. It strengthens services for student success and supports innovation,” SU Chancellor Kent Syverud said in the release.