COMMERCIALIZATION CONNECT
DECEMBER 2019
FOUR UK TECHNOLOGIES PITCHED TO ENTREPRENEURS AT FOUNDER HUNT
The  University of Kentucky   Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC)  worked with four UK innovators to pitch their technologies at the inaugural  Founder Hunt  event at Churchill Downs in Louisville. Founder Hunt is a collaboration between the UK OTC,  Commonwealth Commercialization Center (C3)  and the  University of Louisville (UofL) . The goal of Founder Hunt is to connect research-backed technologies with startup founders who want to build a company around the technology.
OTC AND PARTNERS RECEIVE PHASE II FUNDING FOR SOUTHEAST XLERATOR NETWORK
In October 2018, it was announced that the University of Kentucky (UK) , as the academic lead partner with XLerateHealth , a health technology accelerator based in Louisville, and regional partners had received a federal National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant that could potentially total $3.5 million over three years to create a hub to accelerate the commercialization of biomedical technologies. This hub, one of four NIGMS IDeA Hubs, will benefit university innovators and their commercialization resource partners in the Southeast Institutional Development Award (IDeA) region (AR, KY, LA, MS, PR, SC, and WV).

After Phase I planning, OTC is pleased to announce that funding for Phase II was awarded. The award provides $1.49 million to execute on the Phase I planning. In addition, the Southeast XLerator Network was awarded an Administrative Supplement of $250,000 to fund the advancement of promising health technologies with commercial potential across the region, which the Hub has called the “Ideas to Products (I2P)” program.
OTC STAFF UPDATES
New Staff: Liz Knapp

Liz Knapp is the program manager for the Southeast XLerator Network in OTC. Prior to working at UK, Liz did program development work for NASA Kentucky and was the assistant director for Kentucky's EPSCoR Program.

New Ambassador: Holden Turney

Holden Turney is a new OTC Ambassador. He is a senior and is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering.
OTC STAFF AWARDS
This year OTC awarded annual OTC Superlatives to recognize the exemplary individual work of OTC staff members in three areas reflecting core principles of the OTC: Service, Relationships, and Support.

Join us in congratulating this year's SUPER-lative winners!
2019 OTC EXEMPLARY STAFF AWARD
WINNER: RAJA KRISHNAN, COMMERCIALIZATION MANAGER

The staff person who, in 2019, best represented OTC's mission statement and actively exhibited the OTC Operating Model in all work activities.

Winner chosen by the OTC Leadership Team.
2019 OTC SERVICE AWARD
WINNER: TAUNYA PHILLIPS, SENIOR ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, NEW VENTURES & ALLIANCES

The staff person who, in 2019, best exhibited the OTC Operating Model principle to provide exemplary customer service to others outside the office in their work responsibilities.

Winner chosen by the OTC Staff.
2019 OTC RELATIONSHIP AWARD
WINNER: ERIC HARTMAN, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR, NEW VENTURES

The staff person who, in 2019, best exhibited the OTC Operating Model principle to put relationships on a pedestal, and built and maintained relationships with others outside the office that created value to OTC.

Winner chosen by the OTC Staff.
2019 OTC SUPPORT AWARD
WINNER:SABRINA DARNELL, INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY/COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR

The staff person who, in 2019, best practiced the OTC Operating Model principle to support others within the office to complete work activities, projects or goals.

Winner chosen by the OTC Staff.
BY THE NUMBERS
November 2019
ISSUED PATENTS

B. Mark Evers, Jing Li
(College of Medicine)
DID YOU KNOW?
Kunlei Liu, associate director for research at UK's Center for Applied Energy Research (CAER) and associate professor in the UK College of Engineering, was named a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Kunlei will be recognized by OTC at Patent Palooza! in March 2020.
REACH GRANT PROGRAM:
KENTUCKY NETWORK FOR INNOVATION AND COMMERCIALIZATION (KYNETIC)
The Kentucky Network for Innovation & Commercialization (KYNETIC) program supports faculty (including basic scientists, clinicians, and physicians), staff, and trainees, who want to take their ground-breaking healthcare-related research/discoveries, product inventions or improvements that they are developing in their laboratories or daily practice to the marketplace to improve human health.

On December 12, a Town Hall was held to provide an opportunity for attendees to learn details on how the Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs (REACH) grant will benefit Kentucky's public universities and colleges, and to meet project administration and leadership.

If you weren't able to attend, check out the presentation video and web page below.
SAVE-THE-DATE: UK ENTREPRENEUR SHOWCASE/PATENT PALOOZA!
UK ENTREPRENEUR SHOWCASE
A great opportunity to learn more about innovations of alumni, faculty, and student researchers.

Date: March 24, 2020
Time: 2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Location: Ballroom 212C, Gatton Student Center
PATENT PALOOZA!
An opportunity to celebrate UK's innovators and learn about the amazing innovations happening on campus.

Date: March 24, 2020
Time: 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Location: Ballroom 212A, Gatton Student Center
EVENTS OF INTEREST
Every Wednesday, 7:00 a.m.
DV8 Kitchen
867 S Broadway #140, Lexington, KY
No RSVP Necessary

W o men Innovators and Founders of Lexington Meetup
Thursday, December 19, 4:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Harvey's Bar
200 W Main St, Lexington, KY
No RSVP Necessary
Thursday, December 19, 4:00 p.m. - 6;00 p.m.
Puccini's
833 Chevy Chase Place, Lexington, KY

FY 2020 STATISTICS YEAR-TO-DATE
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