News

A University of Arizona seed fund designed to help launch startups from the innovations of faculty, staff, students and alumni has surpassed its initial goal of $2 million after just a year of fundraising, and will now enter the phase of making investments.

"Forever chemicals" PFAS and PFOA have been proven to be detrimental to the environment and human health. Professor Jeong-Yool Yoon has developed a new, low-cost method for detecting these chemicals using smartphone technology, machine learning and the cloud.

Based on 82 proposals received, the foundation made awards to a total of ten Arizona research teams that demonstrated maximum potential to translate their findings into viable and impactful products and treatments. Seven of the ten hail from the University of Arizona.

In late 2024, the Patent Public Advisory Committee (PPAC) of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) submitted its fiscal year 2024 annual report to the President of the United States. U of A inventor and Regents Professor Marvin Slepian serves on the nine-member committee and penned the section of the report about the role of artificial intelligence in patenting and innovation.

Applications for the 2025 IdeaFunding pitch competition are now live. Entrepreneurs and early-stage Arizona companies must submit applications by 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 14, 2025.

Two University of Arizona faculty members have been elected fellows of the National Academy of Inventors class of 2024. Shibin Jiang and Abhijit Mahalanobis have developed influential inventions that have earned them the highest professional honor exclusively available to academic inventors.

Did you know that postpartum hemorrhage affects around 14 million women each year globally? U of A inventor Elise Erickson and her collaborators have developed a test that uses blood or saliva to assess the risk of postpartum hemorrhage and potential responsiveness to oxytocin.

Hong Hua, inventor and professor of optical sciences, has been featured in the Bayh-Dole Coalition's 2024 "Faces of American Innovation" report. The Coalition has recognized her for her development of a revolutionary vision correction device that helps many legally blind people to see.

At this year's World Intellectual Property Day celebration, Tech Launch Arizona honored over 70 innovators who had more than 100 patents issued for their innovations in the past fiscal year. Each inventor received a custom-minted challenge coin emblazoned with their patent information.

Forty-nine percent of college students aged 18-22 consumed alcohol within the past month. Developed at the University of Arizona by Spencer Gorin, a proven program called "The Buzz" offers an innovative and dynamic approach to alcohol education through its method and curriculum.

Two startups launched to commercialize UArizona inventions have been selected to participate in the exclusive Flinn Bioscience Entrepreneurship Program. Through the program, each will receive $30,000 in non-dilutive funding along with a one-year plan to help them advance their companies and technologies, and become investor-ready.