UTRF is celebrating its 90th anniversary in 2024. As part of this celebration, UTRF will highlight some of its long-term partnerships with UT inventors and startups in the coming months. One founder is Robert Trigiano, UT Knoxville Chancellor’s Professor and UTIA Institute Professor in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology at the UT Institute (read more)
UTRF News
UTRF Welcomes Three New Interns and One Returning Intern
To promote the commercialization of UT’s innovations and to help train the next generation of commercialization professionals, UTRF recently welcomed three new interns and one returning intern across its Knoxville and Memphis offices. In Knoxville, Andrea Gutierrez-Cortez and Lauren Williams, rising second-year law students at UT Knoxville, joined the team as Commercialization Analysts. Jacob Hale (read more)
Inventor Spotlight: Uday Vaidya
The University of Tennessee Research Foundation is honored to partner with Uday Vaidya, a prolific researcher, industry leader, and advisor. He is priceless,” said UTRF President Maha Krishnamurthy. “One of our most prolific innovators. His contributions towards his students’ success, along with impactful contributions in the field of advanced composites, make him invaluable to UTRF (read more)
From Theory to Practice: Students Transform Decades-Old IP into Sound Dental Solution
The University of Tennessee Research Foundation celebrates and supports entrepreneurship across the UT System. One way UTRF does this is by working with students in the two-semester Senior Design course with UT Knoxville’s Tickle College of Engineering together with innovators at UT Health Science Center. UTRF has been sponsoring such projects over the past five (read more)
Innovation is Everywhere Tour
Catch us around UT Knoxville’s campus once a month to learn how the UT Research Foundation (UTRF) can help commercialize your research!
UTRF’s Accelerate Fund Makes First Investment in UT Startup, Co-Investing with LaunchTN’s InvestTN Fund
The University of Tennessee Research Foundation’s Accelerate Fund made its first investment in Orion Therapeutics, a biotechnology startup developing next-generation RNA medicines using a novel drug delivery system. UTRF and Launch Tennessee (LaunchTN) co-invested, both contributing $150,000 of pre seed investment. UTRF’s Accelerate Fund launched in 2023 and provides funding opportunities to help viable startups (read more)
The University of Tennessee Research Foundation Celebrates 90th Anniversary
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 (read more)
UTRF’s First Issued Patent
Honoring a Legacy of Innovation! Did you know that UTRF’s very first issued patent, for the Liquid Level Indicator, dates back to 1938? This groundbreaking invention, tis a device used for measuring the relative humidity of a gas, paved the way for countless advancements in atmospheric science and beyond. This groundbreaking invention, a device for (read more)