University of Arizona reports continued growth in commercialization activity for fiscal year 2026

Building on its land-grant mission, the University of Arizona continues to generate discoveries and inventions across a broad range of disciplines and pursue pathways to move those discoveries into the public sphere where they can improve lives and create economic and societal impact.

In fiscal year 2026, the period from July 1, 2025, to June 30, 2026, Tech Launch Arizona, the university's commercialization office, reported that innovators from across the institution submitted 372 invention disclosures, the highest number in university history and a nearly 15% increase from the previous year's total of 324. During the same period, the office completed 87 licenses and options, had 96 patents issued and helped launch 11 startups based on U of A innovations.

Taken together, these activities draw a map of the multiple pathways whereby inventions developed by university innovators can advance toward commercialization, further development and public use.

"The metrics are important, but they are by no means the goal," said Doug Hockstad, chief innovation officer and executive director of Tech Launch Arizona. "Each invention disclosure begins with someone here at the university seeking to address a challenge or answer an important question. Each patent, license and startup is a milestone as a discovery's story unfolds and moves toward practical application. These numbers demonstrate the continued engagement of U of A researchers and the many players it takes to advance these innovations beyond the research environment."

The year's activity reflects participation from faculty, researchers, graduate students, postdocs, entrepreneurs, investors, industry partners and economic development organizations all working together to support the commercialization process.

The 11 startups the university launched this year are working to bring innovations to the world ranging from new peptides for skin health to a revolutionary virtual reality system for training future surgeons to a low-cost, room-temperature quantum computing platform. Startup ProxyBio announced a $3.5 million funding round to expand its artificial intelligence-powered organoid platform for predicting cancer drug response. Three U of A startups – CarbeniumTec, LifeSpan Digital Health and UGenome – received the first investments from the TLA Wildcat Philanthropic Seed Fund. 

"As LifeSpan Digital Health has grown from an idea into a company with the potential to transform healthcare workforce well-being, Tech Launch Arizona has been an indispensable partner every step of the way," said Jeffrey Cary, the startup's chief executive officer. "Their support extends far beyond traditional startup assistance – they have invested their time, expertise and network to help us overcome obstacles, identify opportunities and accelerate our progress. The guidance, mentorship, introductions and resources they have provided have been instrumental to our success. We sincerely appreciate their belief in our mission and their ongoing commitment to helping Arizona innovators build companies that make a difference."

TLA has launched over 160 companies, 71% of which are still active or have been acquired. Since 2015, U of A startups have collectively raised more than $1.1 billion in funding, according to Tech Launch Arizona records.

This commercialization activity contributes to a broader pattern of economic activity associated with U of A innovation. An independent economic impact analysis released in April 2026 found that Tech Launch Arizona and TLA-linked activities generated $459.7 million in economic output, supported 3,070 jobs and produced $16.8 million in state and local tax revenues during fiscal year 2025. The same analysis found that TLA-linked activity generated approximately $3.3 billion in economic output and supported more than 22,000 job-years – a full-time job held for one year – between fiscal years 2017 and 2025. It also forecasts an additional $2.46 billion in economic output and support for more than 16,000 job-years over the next five years. 

Tech Launch Arizona broadened its focus throughout fiscal year 2026, starting an incubation services program for U of A-affiliated ventures and continuing its partnership with the NSF Desert and Pacific I-Corps Hub, which helps university researchers as well as high-tech entrepreneurs in the community learn and practice customer discovery and connect with mentors to help them advance toward market readiness.

"At the University of Arizona, discovery is only the beginning," said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president for research and partnerships. "Our mission is to translate breakthrough research into solutions that improve lives, strengthen our economy and address society's most pressing challenges. These results demonstrate the power of an innovation ecosystem where researchers, entrepreneurs, industry and community partners work together to move new ideas from the laboratory into the world."

As Tech Launch Arizona begins fiscal year 2027, the office will continue to focus on working with university innovators – in partnership with individuals and organizations across the state's ecosystem – to develop pathways to impact for cutting-edge innovations taking shape at the University of Arizona.