Molecular Matrix, a biotechnology startup enabled by UC Davis, has received Food and Drug Administration clearance for a carbohydrate-based polymer that can help injured bones heal and regrow. Osteo-P™, a synthetic bone graft substitute, supports and guides the growth of new bone (such as when there is a loss of bone due to injury or surgery) after which the biomaterial is resorbed and replaced with the patients’ own bone during the healing process. With the 510(k) FDA clearance, Molecular Matrix will now be able to take Osteo-P to market.... Read More

Through a new partnership with Science Exchange within the UC Davis Venture Catalyst VentureNet™ program, START™ participants now have access to a customized marketplace for outsourced research and development services along with dedicated concierge sourcing support and a special contracting structure. The Science Exchange platform integrates a network of more than 2,500 verified scientific service providers offering over 6,000 research services with a system for consolidated sourcing, contracting, and payment processing.

Read more about the collaboration here

Please contact Venture Catalyst to learn more about the marketplace

The Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR™) and Data, Informatics & Application Launch (DIAL™) Grant programs are now accepting applications for the 2017-18 program year. Funded through the Office of Research and managed by Venture Catalyst, the STAIR and DIAL Grants provide funding to UC Davis researchers to support translational science and innovative research.

New for 2017-18: Venture Catalyst and the UC Davis Innovation Institute for Food and Health (IIFH) are partnering to make an additional $25,000 in salary support available for graduate student, post-doctoral scholar or staff (including applicable fees and benefits) for one or two STAIR grants whose scope aligns with the IIFH vision of enabling safe, sustainable, and secure nutrition for all. This complements the ongoing collaboration with TechAccel focused on the animal health and agtech space.

Learn more about STAIR grant and DIAL grant

Nominations for the Innovator of the Year award are due by March 12th and can be submitted by anyone within the campus community. 

The UC Davis Chancellor’s Innovation Awards are intended to recognize faculty members, community partners, and innovative leaders for their success in developing new technologies, making a societal impact, or driving other innovations based on university research or academic endeavors in the preceding calendar year. These innovators play an essential role in translating university research to improve the lives of others and address the needs of our global society.

The Innovator of the Year award recognizes individual faculty or staff, or teams (which may also include students) whose inventive, innovative or entrepreneurial activities have had a measurable societal impact in the last year, or those whose activities or achievements in the last year have a very strong potential to make a significant impact in the future. 

The nomination form and program details can be found here.

UC Davis Venture Catalyst will be hosting a Knowledge Exchange workshop on Wednesday, February 21, 2018. During this event, Alyssa Panitch, PhD, Edward Teller Professor and Chair, Biomedical Engineering - UC Davis, and John Paderi, PhD, Sr. Director of Research - Symic Bio, will discuss their experience translating a platform from the bench to a startup, back to the bench and then back to a startup again. Both faculty and trainee perspectives will be shared.... Learn More and Register

The Sacramento Kings are looking for the most promising startups in the greater Sacramento area to compete in the third Capitalize startup contest. The Kings are committed to supporting local entrepreneurs, and growing the innovation economy of the Sacramento Region. Capitalize extends this commitment to the community by providing an opportunity for innovators to showcase new products and services on the NBA's global stage. The Kings will also host a workshop to help founders build and refine their pitches. Startups within 75 miles of Sacramento can submit applications through February 19, 2018. The winning company will receive a $10,000 prize and an opportunity to pitch to leading angel investors..... Read More

On January 22, 2018, Mark Haney of the HaneyBiz Project interviewed Dushyant Pathak, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research and Executive Director of Venture Catalyst at UC Davis. They discussed entrepreneurship, intellectual property, university technology commercialization. The HaneyBiz Project Radio Show, hosted by Mark Haney, is a platform focused on igniting the entrepreneurial revolution in Sacramento.... Watch the Interview

UC Davis is a world leader in plant and agriculture sciences research, which plays a vital role in making the Capital Region one of the most innovative hubs in the vegetable seed industry. Eight of the world’s 10 largest vegetable seed companies are strategically located near UC Davis. Additionally, more than 80 seed industry companies are within 100 miles, and 300 are within 300 miles of the university. Seed Central, a public-private partnership launched in 2010 by the UC Davis Seed Biotechnology Center and Francois Korn, CEO of SeedQuest, plays a key role in uniting region's seed industry. Another important regional driver is UC Davis' own plant varieties patents, which generate a large source of revenue for the university. The campus currently manages about 70 plant variety patents, bringing in about $14 million annually.... Read More

SmartFarm is a concept for the farm of the future that will develop new innovative smart machines, smart sensing of the environment, smart plants and smart farming methods, and will lead the way forward for world food security and the environmental, economic and social sustainability of the food production system by the year 2050. The SmartFarm initiative is led by UC Davis Biological and Agricultural Engineering Professor David Slaughter. Slaughter is working to attract funding that will move SmartFarm from a collection of ideas and programs to an integrated initiative. He hopes to establish a physical presence for the initiative on the UC Davis campus, with labs and workshops, experimental fields, educational space and a “droneport” for working with unmanned aerial vehicles.... Read More

In an effort to protect and preserve the Earth’s biodiversity and kick-start an inclusive bio-economy, the World Economic Forum announced a landmark partnership between the Earth BioGenome Project, chaired by Harris Lewin, distinguished professor at UC Davis, and the Earth Bank of Codes to map the DNA of all life on Earth. The announcement was made at the 48th World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos-Klosters, Switzerland. The Earth Biogenome Project aims to sequence the DNA of all the planet’s eukaryotes, some 1.5 million known species, including all known plants, animals and single-celled organisms. The ambitious project will take 10 years to complete and cost an estimated $4.7 billion.... Read More

The California Energy Alliance (CEA) announced that its code change proposal — dedicated to improving the lighting control requirements for lighting alterations — was accepted by the California Energy Commission (CEC) in its recently published Draft Express Terms. This publication commences the formal rulemaking process for the 2019 updates to California’s Building Energy Efficiency Standards. CEA was a spin-off organization from UC Davis California Lighting Technology Center.... Read More

Universities play an increasingly important role in de-risking innovation. Supporting innovation and technology commercialization from students to faculty is key to building successful startups. “It’s really critical that universities play a lead role in innovation and startups,” said William Tucker, executive director of Innovation Access at UC Davis. One example of the university playing a lead role is the case of Tony Simon, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral science at UC Davis. UC Davis helped Simon to launch a startup company to develop video games that act as “digital medicine” for treating children with cognitive impairments, as well as people with cognitive limitations resulting from brain injury or aging. Providing funding is another avenue where UC Davis 'de-risks' innovation. For example, UC Davis will provide up to $50,000 to promising research projects by faculty members seeking to move technology to commercialization. It also offers wraparound services, such as training in business development and proof of concept, to help attract outside venture capital.... Read More

About Venture Catalyst 

 

UC Davis Venture Catalyst facilitates the translation of University research and technology by enabling the development of new ventures. Venture Catalyst engages with the Davis and Sacramento business, governmental and economic development community to highlight the development of technologies and ventures coming out of UC Davis that will drive tomorrow’s regional job creation. Working closely with these partners, Venture Catalyst is invigorating the technology-based entrepreneurial ecosystem of the entire region. 

The Venture Catalyst START™ Suite of programs and services provides the ABCs to equip UC Davis entrepreneurs with the tools they need to form and grow robust startups. The program gives founders the START they need to create a well-structured company and ensure the company is prepared for success. 

 

 Contact Venture Catalyst 

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