U News | University of Cincinnati establishes a Commercialization Navigator position
Jackson State University is celebrating its historic recognition as the recipient of the prestigious "Founders Award" from the National Academy of Inventors.
From the University of Cincinnati:
Its mission is to translate UC’s cutting-edge innovations into viable technologies by evaluating patentability and commercial viability, ensuring compliance and legal protection, recruiting and maintaining external partners, marketing technologies, negotiating license deals, and identifying funding opportunities. This multifaceted approach ensures that groundbreaking discoveries from UC are positioned to reach the market, delivering substantial benefits that impact society.
To increase awareness and engagement, as well as to enhance, support, and accelerate the office’s commercialization function, UC created the Commercialization Navigator position. This new hire develops pathways for commercialization that connect UC researchers and inventors with external partners such as corporations, venture capital firms, venture studios, entrepreneurs, and funding agencies. The additional employee operates as a one-stop concierge for navigating the breadth and depth of UC’s intellectual property offerings and talented researchers.
A little more than a year ago, Technology Transfer recruited Patrick Brown from UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science to fill this position. The role isn’t new territory for Brown. Throughout his career, he has been passionate about translational research and the importance of understanding external partners’ needs. This is a learning he has carried over to his position as Commercialization Navigator.
From Jackson State University:
Jackson State University (JSU) is celebrating its historic recognition as the recipient of the prestigious “Founders Award” from the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). This achievement makes JSU the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and the first institution in Mississippi to be honored. The award is presented to institutions significantly contributing to NAI’s success by enhancing its reach, promoting access and diversity, and demonstrating a commitment to innovation and invention.
From the Georgia Institute of Technology:
Georgia Tech’s Office of the Executive Vice President for Research has announced a new Faculty Service and Development Fund (SD Fund) designed to cover up to five percent of salaries for research faculty who are funded at 95 percent or more on sponsored support. The new SD Fund takes effect this month and is designed to cover individuals’ time as they participate in service to the Institute and their research communities, develop new research programs, or engage in professional growth activities.
“Historically, it has been a challenge for research faculty to undertake career development activities because those hours were not billable to their sponsored salary funding,” said Assistant Vice Provost for Research Faculty Maribeth Gandy Colemen. “This new approach to Institute funding will not only benefit individuals’ professional trajectories but will also empower our research faculty to give back to an even greater extent.”
Individuals whose salaries are zero percent-funded by Institute general operations or Departmental Sales and Services (DSS) will have five percent of their salary covered by the SD Fund. Individuals whose salaries are less than five percent will receive the difference to get them up to five percent.
From the Missouri University of Science and Technology:
Dr. Venkat Allada, Professor of Engineering Management and Systems Engineering, has been named Executive Director of the Innovation Ecosystem Design Initiative, a one-year project organized and launched by the Kummer College of Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Development at Missouri University of Science and Technology.
“This initiative is our first major step in developing a robust Rolla-centered regional innovation ecosystem,” says Dr. James Sterling, Dean of the Kummer College. “The initiative will organize our approach to engaging with a variety of people interested in innovation and entrepreneurship, including our students, faculty and alumni, as well as business leaders, angel investors, venture capitalists, and local and state agencies that are stakeholders in building a regional innovation ecosystem.”
Sterling anticipates that the initiative’s activities will include organizing an Entrepreneurs-in-Residence program and one-time and ongoing events, establishing a council of local and regional innovators and entrepreneurs, and hosting visitors representing a diverse range of backgrounds and specialties. The outcomes of these activities will inform the strategy for creating the Rolla-based ecosystem.
From Stanford University:
Stanford Researcher Murat Baday kicked off the first-ever four-day Entrepreneurship Olympiad in late July where a group of eighth through 12th grade students competed for the chance to receive thousands of dollars of funding for their start-up companies. Each of the students in the winning group will be granted $5,000 toward their business and will be provided with mentorship for months through Techdev Academy, an entrepreneurship and educational company for young people, co-founded by Baday.
While the students were not expected to enter the Olympiad with a concrete business plan, they were able to form groups and settle on ideas within four days. Throughout the week, the students participated in pitch meetings, honed in on ideas, and attended various speeches from people like finance influencer Humphrey Yang and Nobel Prize-winning physicist and former U.S. Secretary of Energy Steven Chu.
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