UKAccel
The University of Kentucky (UK) Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) has established the UAccel program, which is a focused cohort hosted through a partnership with Launch Blue. The focused cohort, which may be comprised of UK and Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV) partner institution technologies, offers professional development and an experiential learning opportunity to UK innovators that are interested in learning the best commercialization path for their technology.
UK employees should review the Conflict Guidance for UK Employee Entrepreneurs (pdf, 9pgs).
Sign up to be notified when the UAccel application opens for Fall 2021.
SPRING 2021 PROGRAM GRADUATES:
- Les Anderson, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Team included Justin Rhinehart, University of Tennessee Department of Animal Science.
- Dr. Arun Aneja and Dr. Arjun Srinath, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
- Mohammad Alsabri, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Startup: BioHerbicide
- William Boatright, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment. Startup: VerraGlo
- Keith Pennypacker, University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Team included Partha Paul, CEO. Startup: Cerelux
- Joshua Werner, University of Kentucky College of Engineering. Team included Kevin Hubert, President and CEO. Startup: X Met
- Sunil Ketty, Northern Kentucky University Department of Communication. Startup: Media Informatics. Team supported by Megan Aanstoos, licensing and new ventures manager, Kentucky Commercialization Ventures.
FALL 2020 PROGRAM GRADUATES:
- Dr. Andrew Byrd, University of Kentucky College of Arts and Sciences. Team included John Meister (SuperSoul)
- Dr. Florin Despa, University of Kentucky College of Medicine. Team included Drs. Stephen and Aaron Carrithers. Startup: AmDX Prognostix
- Dr. Jared Hammill, University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy
- Dr. Carrie Shaffer, University of Kentucky College of Agriculture, Food and Environment
- Dr. Qinjun Wang, University of Kentucky College of Medicine
- Dr. Jason Marion, Eastern Kentucky University College of Health Sciences. Team supported by Megan Aanstoos, licensing and new ventures manager, Kentucky Commercialization Ventures
Program Information
Who Can Participate at UK?
The UAccel Program is targeted to UK faculty, staff, researchers, and clinicians that apply to and meet the criteria for the program. Participation at any given time is subject to space in the program and the availability of funds.
Eligibility
- Sign up to be notified when the UAccel application opens for Fall 2021.
- Submit, or have submitted, an Invention Report to OTC that is related to the technology, for which rights are not released back to the inventor.
- Commit to completing the program requirements.
Program Participation Requirements
During the program, UAccel participants take part in:
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Bi-Weekly Cohort Meetings: Fridays, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
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Bi-Weekly Coaching Sessions: 30 minutes and scheduled individually
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LaunchPad Central Video Lectures: around 30 minutes each lecture
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Report Out Template: around an hour every two weeks
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Goals: every other week teams will meet with Launch Blue coaches to set goals and problem-solve around any challenges. Some of these goals will include customer discovery interviews and market research.
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In total participants should expect to commit at least seven hours a week.
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The bi-weekly cohort meetings, except the final, and all of the bi-weekly coaching sessions are online via Zoom. The final cohort meetings will be in person at Base110 in Lexington.
FAQs
What Are the Primary Outcomes?
The UAccel program’s goal is to advance the technology toward commercialization, including preparations for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications, creation of a startup, or licensing of the technology.
How is Technology Defined?
The goal of the UAccel focused cohort of Launch Blue is to advance a technology that is owned by a Kentucky institution of higher education toward commercialization. In this context, ‘technology’ refers to innovation in areas such as 1) agriculture and bioscience, 2) energy and environmental technologies, 3) human health and personalized medicine, 4) information technology and new media, or 5) material science and advanced manufacturing. The innovation should have created or had the potential to create new intellectual property that may be protected through a patent or copyright which provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
Commercialization of these innovations will often require large investments of time and capital prior to commercial revenues.
What Makes a Technology or Team a Competitive Candidate?
Competitive candidates for the UAccel focused cohort will:
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Be able to demonstrate dedication to the technology commercialization process
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Be willing to participate meaningfully in the program and work actively towards program milestones. (i.e. customer discovery interviews, active attendance in cohort meetings/coaching sessions, and review of platform materials, etc.)
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Have a scalable opportunity based on strong, stage-appropriate, protectable technology