RESEARCH COMMERCIALIZATION: FOSTERS ENTREPRENEURIAL, ECONOMIC AND INNOVATION EXCELLENCE.

• Position: RESEARCH: NORTH CAROLINA: NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY

NC State is a powerhouse in research commercialization. We've established a streamlined process that connects our faculty with industry partners in order to bring new, innovative technology to the marketplace. NC State research has sparked more than 190 startups and spinoffs, which, alongside our students and alumni, generate $6.5 billion of North Carolina income each year. It's not surprising that the George W. Bush Institute listed us as one of the top 20 universities for innovation impact.

NC State promotes a culture of entrepreneurial and innovation excellence. As the leader of a National Science Foundation I-Corps, we teach teams of researchers how to shepherd their discoveries and inventions into the marketplace. Training includes customer discovery and market research. Teams are also connected to mentors as they decide how best to enter markets.

Since 2010, NC State has been executing a unique seed-funding program that supports short-term, commercially-focused research projects. Supported by Chancellor Randy Woodson, the Chancellor's Innovation Fund awards university innovators up to $50,000 to strengthen the commercial potential of our researchers' intellectual property. The fund helps bridge the gap between public and private funding and encourages products and technology that tackle some of society's most pressing problems.

In the past 12 years, the Chancellor's Innovation Fund has awarded $3.9 million and generated $74.9 million in follow-on funding. Awards aren't limited to a single discipline. Sponsored projects have turned sawdust into packaging materials, created coatings to protect stealth aircraft, accelerated the industrial purification of biotherapeutics and developed microgel-based materials that mimic blood platelets.

PhotoCide Protection, Inc., is just one of the 32 startups launched thanks to the Chancellor's Innovation Fund. Founded in 2018, PhotoCide Protection's technology combines cellulose with photosensitizers to fight various pathogens on surfaces. The company has developed fabrics, plastics and coatings that disinfect themselves. This mitigates the spread of infectious diseases that are transmitted via high-touch surfaces.

Another startup, TreeCo, edits genes to breed healthier forests and, in turn, a more sustainable future. Using CRISPR, TreeCo can shorten the growing cycle of trees and implement other enhancements, like better drought or frost tolerance. Not only does this technology help grow more...