The University of Tennessee Research Foundation is celebrating 90 years of innovation! UTRF has been at the forefront of driving change and pushing the boundaries of what’s possible for nearly a century.
“For the past 90 years, UTRF has been instrumental in promoting the commercialization of UT’s intellectual property and fostering an entrepreneurial culture that empowers our faculty, staff, and students,” said UT System President Randy Boyd. “By transforming research ideas into market-ready solutions, UTRF not only enhances the impact of our academic endeavors but also drives economic growth and progress. As an entrepreneur myself, I am deeply proud of UTRF’s legacy and its commitment to advancing innovation.”
Reflecting on this milestone, UTRF President Maha Krishnamurthy, who has been part of UTRF for 13 years, said, “It’s been a privilege to collaborate with innovators, staff, and leadership across all campuses and the UT System. I extend my deepest gratitude to every team member, past and present, for their dedication to advancing our mission of commercialization of UT’s cutting-edge innovations and fostering startup creation. Our valued partners and collaborators also deserve recognition for their steadfast support. Together, we can achive greater accomplishments in the decades ahead.”
UT Research Corporation: Humble Agricultural Beginnings
Established as the UT Research Corporation (UTRC) in December 1934, UTRC’s early activities centered around agricultural innovation, including fertilizers, insecticides, and machinery.
Two UT faculty members, Kenneth Hertel and W. R. Woolrich, urged the university to establish a nonprofit that could serve as an agency to obtain and administer patents. Hertel helped found UTRC and played a significant role in shaping the organization into what it is today, including serving as UTRC’s president from 1954-1969. In 1939, he received UTRC’s first-issued patent for a device that measured the relative humidity of a gas.
From humble beginnings promoting agricultural inventions to current endeavors spanning alternative energy to pharmaceuticals, UTRF’s journey exemplifies the spirit of progress and discovery.
UTRF Through the Years
Since its founding, UTRF has patented revolutionary devices, processes and innovations. Some of the earliest patents included:
- 1943: Brooks D. Drain’s Tennessee Shipper and the Tennessee Supreme strawberry varieties
- 1946: Fritz Rosenthal’s phenolic molding compound that used cottonseed hulls
- 1954: Inventor Walter H. MacIntire’s treatment of alkaline waste waters
- 1955: Kenneth L. Hertel’s apparatus for and method of testing porous materials
- 1956: Arthur H. Morgan and Guy A. Shuey’s machine for processing sliced material
- 1958: James L. Bloomer and Charles W. Keenan’s processing chamber
- 1962: Hugh G. Neil’s apparatus for determining the physical properties of porous material and Judson H. Robertson’s apparatus for measuring vapor density
- 1969: Arthur H. Morgan’s vegetable and fruit harvester
During the 1970s and 1980s, UTRF began transitioning from its agricultural and mechanical roots to groundbreaking innovations in biology, chemistry, and pharmaceuticals. The organization also grew internally during this time, welcoming its first executive director, William A. Goodwin, in 1979.
In the 1990s, UTRF hit significant milestones, including receiving the first $1 million licensing issue fee, opening a branch office at the UT Health Science Center in Memphis, and helping commercialize drugs to treat prostate cancer and chronic muscle-wasting conditions.
During my 32 years with UTRF, I’ve witnessed remarkable transformations and milestones that have shaped UTRF into the entity it is today,” said retired Senior Staff Attorney, Mary Ann Russell. “From adapting to provide innovative legal solutions for UTRF to promoting a culture of excellence and integrity, our team has always strived for positive change. It’s been a privilege to be part of an organization that not only adapts to the evolving legal landscape while preserving its integrity, and also majorly impacts the communities we serve.”
In 2003, UTRC became UTRF with a mission to promote the commercialization of UT’s innovations, grow UT’s research, support and grow an entrepreneurial culture at UT, and foster economic development for the state of Tennessee and beyond. With this change, UTRF established new bylaws and formed a board of directors. A few years later, UTRF opened the Business Incubator to support early-stage tech firms.
By 2009, UTRF had broadened its reach to champion sustainable energy initiatives, creating Genera Energy and setting the stage for the Tennessee Solar Institute and Tennessee Solar Farm the following year.
In the convening years, UTRF has dramatically expanded its operations, staff and with it the ability to move UT’s innovation out of the lab and into the market. At the 2023 UTRF Innovation Awards, UTRF celebrated reaching new heights by recognizing five startups, 40 executed commercialization agreements, and 46 issued patents that year.
Today and Looking at the Next 90 Years
Last year, UTRF launched the Venture Launch Program and Accelerate Fund to start, grow and retain new ventures formed from UT’s vast innovation portfolio by connecting UT’s innovators with startup capital and providing them with the resources needed to transform their ideas into companies through early mentorship and guidance for commercialization.
The Accelerate Fund made its first pre-seed investment of $150,000 in Orion Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup developing next-generation RNA medicines using a novel drug delivery system.
Created out of the Venture Launch Program, UTRF’s Executives-in-Residence (EIR) and Entrepreneurial Fellow Program focus on supporting UT entrepreneurs and retaining talented individuals in the region. UTRF has appointed veteran entrepreneurs Bob Vanderhoff and Andria L. Yates as EIRs and recently hired its first Entrepreneurial Fellow, Tanner Hobson.
In its first 90 years, UTRF has achieved remarkable milestones and paved the way for a future filled with endless possibilities. Watch UTRF’s social media channels in the coming weeks for more insight into the organization’s illustrious history.
