Faculty Innovation

This customer discovery program helps any innovating researcher from CU Boulder or a partnering institution, not just those wanting to create a startup, learn how to commercialize their technology.

Instructors at the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering have re-envisioned their courses to allow for hands-on learning despite social distancing, faculty and graduate students are finding safe ways to return to research, and two summer programs, the ME Summer Design Intensive and ME SPUR, have provided valuable engineering experience to 38 participating students.

Darwin Biosciences, CU Boulder spinoff and creator of the Sick Stick, have developed a rapid, portable, saliva-based COVID-19 test able to return results in 45 minutes. Such a test might eventually be deployable in community settings like schools and factories, and efforts are underway to conduct further validation tests and seek regulatory approval.

Cindy Regal, an investigator at the new center, JILA fellow and CU Boulder professor, described part of the center’s mission as creating a “quantum-ready workforce." “Students at CU can play a leading role in the startup ecosystem that is going to surround quantum in the coming years,” Regal said.

New Iridium, a company developing commercialized photocatalysis technologies to accelerate drug development and manufacturing, has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) grant for $256,000 to conduct research and development work on facilitating timely availability of Remdesivir, a potential life-saving drug in the global fight against COVID-19.

The University of Colorado jumped from No. 53 to No. 20 in a recent global ranking of the top 100 universities granted U.S. utility patents. All four campuses contributed to CU’s total 100+ patents, with CU Boulder contributing 60.

CU Boulder researchers and the CU spinoff VitriVax Inc., are focused on finding a way to get vaccines to 7.8 billion people. The research team is able to do so with funding, licensing and startup support from Venture Partners at CU Boulder, the university’s commercialization arm.

CU Boulder biomedical engineer Jacob Segil is working to bring back a sense of touch for amputees, including veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Instructor Chris Koehler, the founder and managing director of CU Boulder’s space minor, raided the bargain bin at Time Warp Comics in Boulder to create care packages with assorted comics, stickers, a personal note and other goodies for more than 100 students.

Jeffrey York, associate professor of strategy and entrepreneurship suggests that we can learn something about how to address climate change from this crisis.