Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year!
Over the past year, we saw significant research growth, leading to industry partners and the research community recognizing the quality and impact of the innovations developed at Clemson. With this year already in full swing, I want to introduce some new opportunities and resources we have made available to you and shine a light on some significant accomplishments made by our startups.
Victory Exofibres receives InnoVision Technology Development Award
InnoVision distributes awards to organizations, universities, businesses, non-profits, and individuals for outstanding leadership, innovation, and technological excellence. Established in 1999, InnoVision is a South Carolina-based organization dedicated to advancing innovation and technology.
Last year, Clemson startup, Victory Exofibres, won the InnoVision Technology Development Award for their innovative exosome and viral particle isolation kits used in cancer diagnosis. Founded by Terri Bruce, research assistant professor in the Department of Bioengineering, and director of the Clemson Light Imaging Facility, Victory Exofibres has developed a rapid and efficient technology that can isolate extracellular vesicles, or exosomes, from body fluids using propriety capillary-channeled polymer (C-CP) fiber spin columns jointly developed with Dr. Ken Marcus's laboratory.
For more information on Victory Exofibres, click here.
Sojourn MedTech LLC and CarbonCents Inc. receive funding from SCRA
The South Carolina Research Authority (SCRA) works to fuel the innovation economy in South Carolina by accelerating the growth of technology in academia, entrepreneurship, and industry. Chartered in 1983 by state legislature, SCRA supports the research endeavors of entrepreneurs and startups through grant funding, coaching, and investing via SCRA's investment affiliate, SC Launch Inc. Each year, SCRA selects startup companies within South Carolina to join its membership program and awards current members with grant funding. Last year, Clemson startups and current SCRA members, Sojourn MedTech LLC and CarbonCents Inc., received early-stage financing from SCRA.
Based on research conducted by Tim Howard, Dr. David White, Dr. Carl Ehrett, and Snowil Lopes and supported by the Watt Family Innovation Center Energy Visualization and Analytics Center (CEVAC), CarbonCents is commercializing carbon reduction data platforms used for predictive energy management. The CEVAC platform collects, measures, and provides a dashboard to efficiently reduce energy usage costs and carbon emissions. CarbonCents received a $50,000 Acceleration Grant from SCRA that will help them continue to find solutions to create healthier working environments and a more sustainable future.
Sojourn MedTech LLC received a $25,000 Academic Startup Grant from SCRA to commercialize a dialysis cannulation training platform. Based on research by Dr. Ravikiran Singapogu and his research team, Sojourn MedTech is commercializing a multi-parameter intelligent medical training simulator. Named CanSim, this simulator is an integrated hardware and software platform to assess clinical personnel performance training in dialysis care quantitatively.
For more information on CarbonCents and Sojourn MedTech, click here.
Technology Maturation Fund: Call for Letters of Intent
The CURF Technology Maturation Fund is a unique translational grant program that exists to advance CURF-managed technologies toward commercialization through licensing or industry collaboration. This program is open to any Clemson faculty member who has previously disclosed an innovation through CURF.
This research program utilizes a two-step application process. Before a proposal can be submitted, a letter of intent is required. The deadline for letters of intent is Friday, February 3, 2023, by 5:00pm EST. The full request for proposals will be issued on February 6, 2023.
For more information the Technology Maturation Fund Research Grant Program, click here.
New Resource Library for Inventors
CURF has been working diligently for the past few months to create a repository of tutorials, presentations, and other information that will assist you with navigating the technology transfer process and further developing your research. Housed on Clemson's Canvas platform, this repository will provide you with the resources needed to mature your technologies and answer any questions you may have about CURF support and how we can assist with advancing various innovations from the lab to the market. We will continue to expand the content on this platform throughout this year.
For more information about this new resource and to join, click here.
I congratulate the startups mentioned above and thank you for yet another successful year! I am excited to see what this new year will bring as you pursue research and scientific challenges that address industry problems and create commercially viable technologies that benefit South Carolinians and beyond.
Best,
Chris
