The Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) has recently finalized award decisions for the SPARK Technology Commercialization Fund Program. A unique program within the OVPR’s internal funding opportunities, SPARK supports innovative proof-of-concept studies seeking to translate research discoveries into products, processes, and other commercial applications. Its overarching mission is to advance promising faculty inventions towards the market, where they can have a positive impact for the University, society, and the state’s economy.
We have seen a three-fold return on investment from previous SPARK recipients, with several startups formed and over $4 million in extramural follow-on funding to date. We have high hopes for the potential future successes of this cycle’s recipients as well.
The 2019 SPARK awardees who competed in a highly selective competition were:
Mark Brand, UConn, Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture
Developing High Output Vegetative Propagation Methods for an Improved Northern Bayberry
Baikun Li, UConn, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Enhancing Durability and Accuracy of Solid-state Ion Selective Membrane (S-ISM) Nitrogen Sensors for Long-term Monitoring of Wastewater Systems: with Septic Tanks as the Initial Demonstration Site
Ruth Lucas, UConn, Department of Nursing
Field Testing the Breastfeeding Diagnostic Device with Synchronized Biomechanical and Biomarkers
Paul Nahass, UConn, Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Medical Devices for Real-time Radiation Dosimetry at Sub-millimeter Spatial Resolution
James Rusling, UConn, Department of Chemistry
BioCap-harvest for Self-Powered Cardiac Pacemakers
Kepeng Wang, UConn Health, Department of Immunology
Using GM-treg Cells for the Treatment of Crohn’s Disease
Simon White, UConn, Department of Molecular and Cell Biology
Repurposing the FDA Approved Itraconazole and Posaconazole to Treat Picornaviral Diseases
Dennis Wright, UConn, Department of Pharmaceutical Science
Propargyl-Linked Antifolates (PLAs) for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA)
For more information about SPARK, visit the program website.
