The school year has barely begun and what are students up to? Pretty amazing things, if they’re anything like the students who won grants from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance (NCIIA). Grants are also awarded to faculty who ignite a passion for innovation and entrepreneurship among science and engineering students.

The student grants are part of the NCIIA’s Entrepreneurial Team program, which supports the next generation of innovators hoping to improve the lives of underserved populations in developing countries worldwide as well as meeting societal and environmental needs here in the US. The program provides student innovation teams with funding and training needed to advance their business strategy and to, ultimately, them bring their technology-based inventions to the marketplace. Over the last 17 years, more than 180 companies have been launched thanks to support from NCIIA.

What are some of these technologies? Stage One winners, who receive $5,000 in grants and training in market analysis, value proposition development, and identifying short-term goals, include: students at New Jersey Institute of Technology, who created the ChitO2- Clot, a wound dressing that rapidly absorbs the blood from an injury and forms a clot to fill the empty area; Northeastern University, developing the iCRAFT, a robotic arm to allow quadriplegics to feed themselves; the OttoClave from Case Western Reserve University, a new type of autoclave; University of Virginia students, crafting the ProVazo device for pain-free blood sampling, and SympSolutions from Johns Hopkins University, a hypertension treatment.

NCIIA Stage Two grant recipients may each receive up to $20,000, training in developing their business model, and access to mentors. Here are few you can expect to see enter the marketplace soon.

Ablation Designs, from Northwestern University, is developing an expandable, handheld radio frequency ablation (RFA) probe that generates heat to eliminate all cancerous cells remaining after breast cancer surgery. AWAIR, from Stanford University, created the Wyshbone drug delivery catheter that continuously applies lidocaine to the throat to reduce the discomfort of having a breathing tube inserted. Disease Diagnostic Group, from Case Western Reserve University, is developing the Rapid Assessment of Malaria device to detect early-stage infections from one drop of blood. OncoFilter, from The Ohio State University, is creating a new blood filtration tool to quickly detect and monitor cancer at an early stage. PharmaCheck, from Boston University, is developing a portable detector for use in developing countries to screen counterfeit and substandard medicines. Finally, PoraDerm, from Vanderbilt University, is creating an implantable, synthetic, biodegradable foam scaffold structure to help diabetic ulcers heal faster.

It’s truly inspiring to read about some of the projects underway. As The Who said in 1965, “the kids are alright”!

Beth G. Sisk

Editor


Topics:
Medical