Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

Extending innovation further into health care is the goal behind the recent announcement that long-time University of Kentucky (UK) expert in innovation and entrepreneurship, Ian McClure, is expanding his role and will serve as Vice President of Innovation for UK HealthCare, said Eric N. Monday, UK’s Co-Executive Vice President for Health Affairs.

McClure will additionally maintain his current position as Associate Vice President for Research, Innovation, and Economic Impact in the university’s research enterprise, providing further connections for leveraging the impacts of discovery and care. He also serves as Executive Director of UK Innovate.

“Ian is a recognized national leader and expert in innovation and the development and commercialization of intellectual capital,” Monday said. “Health care is a space that will need even greater innovation — whether in our own digital health advancements and technology innovations or through creative partnerships with other providers and health companies — to extend the provision of advanced care to more people. This addition to Ian’s portfolio of responsibilities underscores our commitment to connecting discovery and care and leveraging innovation to meet our growing health system needs with discoveries in our research labs and clinical operations and through external partnerships with providers, technology companies, and community organizations to make the advanced care that we expect to provide accessible to more people in our state.”

In McClure’s current role, he oversees UK Innovate and leads efforts to translate UK discoveries for the public good. UK Innovate’s mission is to advance innovation that makes a difference in supporting the university’s strategic plan by committing to:

• Work cooperatively with innovators and stakeholders to strategically assess, protect, and license innovations and intellectual capital for economic and societal impact;
• Train, inspire, and encourage innovators and stakeholders to achieve research impact;
• Cultivate entrepreneurship and support the creation of new UK start-ups;
• Help build Kentucky’s innovation ecosystem and collaborate with partners worldwide; and
• Expand access to innovation and entrepreneurship for all.

Residents in the Knoxville region may recall that McClure has been the Project Director for GAME Change, known officially as the Generate Advanced Manufacturing Excellence for Change, that has a goal of establishing the region as a hub for circular economy manufacturing. Focused on Kentucky and Tennessee, it was one of the recipients of a $1 million Type-1 “Engines Development Awards” from the National Science Foundation.

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