AUTM

06/01/2026

Arizona's public universities are creating pathways for students to launch startups, access mentorship, secure funding, and bring new technologies to market. The recent Inferno Invitational Startup Cup showcased how entrepreneurship, innovation, and commercialization are helping the next generation of founders build companies that address challenges in healthcare, sustainability, cybersecurity, and beyond.

Inferno Invitational Startup Cup highlights the statewide pipeline of student-driven innovation.

06/01/2026

Outbounding technology from a unique geographic ecosystem requires a specialized strategy.

In this episode of AUTM on the Air, we go inside the "engine room" of university innovation in South Africa with Ravini Moodley, Director of the Technology Transfer Office at Stellenbosch University’s Innovus.Instead of trying to out-compete massive, resource-heavy global ecosystems in every sector, Stellenbosch is intentionally doubling down on agricultural and sustainability technologies.

Ravini sits down with us to unpack the ground-level pipeline moving research from disclosure to a functional spin-out.

🎧 Listen here: https://bit.ly/3RHDOOP.

05/29/2026

What if one of the world’s biggest public health challenges could be addressed by rethinking one everyday object?

This story highlights how researchers from Georgia Institute of Technology, Georgia Tech Research Institute, and global academic partners came together to reinvent the toilet through the Gates Foundation’s Reinvent the Toilet Challenge.

The Generation 2 Reinvented Toilet is designed to safely process waste at the source without requiring traditional sewage infrastructure or continuous water access, opening new possibilities for communities around the world facing sanitation challenges. 🚽🌍

Read how global collaboration, research, and innovation are helping tackle one of the world’s most urgent sanitation challenges: https://bit.ly/4tXO9nf

05/29/2026

Members of the AUTM team recently took a road trip to Milwaukee for the Founder Factory IP University Pitch event, joining innovation leaders including Kashmira Kulkarni, Chair of the AUTM Foundation, and Laura Savatski, Past Chair of the AUTM Board, to learn more about how early-stage innovation is being supported across Wisconsin.

The event highlighted the importance of building stronger pathways for discovery-stage technologies and supporting innovators early in the commercialization journey — work that closely connects to AUTM’s Kauffman-funded discovery initiatives focused on strengthening innovation ecosystems and helping promising research move closer to real-world impact.

05/28/2026

Interested in working with ARPA-H or exploring new SBIR/STTR funding opportunities?

Join AUTM on Thursday, June 4 from Noon–1 p.m. ET for a webinar featuring Sam Gussman-Toh, Lead Program Specialist at Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H), and Connor Barth, Co-Founder and CEO of Trace Biosciences, to learn more about ARPA-H’s Small Business Program, funding opportunities, and how organizations can engage with the agency to help bring breakthrough health innovations to life.

Topics include:
🔸 SBIR/STTR funding opportunities
🔸 ARPA-H research and commercialization programs
🔸 Engagement opportunities for industry, academia, government, and early adopters
🔸 How companies at all stages can partner with ARPA-H

AUTM Members attend free. Non-Members: $195.

Register now or reserve the recording: https://bit.ly/4dKs2dK

05/28/2026

A simple blood test could change the future of Alzheimer’s detection.

On the latest episode of AUTM on the Air, Dr. Yuanbing “Jason” Jiang from Hong Kong University of Science and Technology shares how his team developed a 21-protein blood biomarker panel capable of detecting early-stage Alzheimer’s with about 96% accuracy.

The conversation explores:
🔸 Why Alzheimer’s can begin developing decades before symptoms appear
🔸 How advances in proteomics made large-scale blood testing possible
🔸 Why moving beyond amyloid markers improved detection accuracy
🔸 How lower-cost, less invasive testing could expand access worldwide
🔸 What earlier diagnosis could mean for treatment, clinical trials, and patient care

🎧 Listen now:
Apple: https://apple.co/3ebWO4n
Spotify: https://spoti.fi/3C2dVO8

If you are interested in listening to the episode with captioning, please consider using Live Caption from Google: https://bit.ly/3C9s4cu

05/27/2026

Bureaucracy slowing things down? This webinar is all about building smarter, leaner operations that actually support innovation instead of standing in its way.

Join Eric See from Cedars-Sinai and Sherrie Williams from Vanderbilt University for a conversation on cutting through red tape, streamlining processes, and using your database more effectively to improve communication and reduce unnecessary steps.

📅 June 2, 2026
🕛 Noon–1 p.m. ET

Free for AUTM Members.

Register now: https://bit.ly/3PsNL1X

05/21/2026

A simple patch with the potential to improve recovery for surgical patients around the world.

This new story highlights NPseal, a Weill Cornell Medicine innovation designed to help reduce surgical site infections and complications through a low-cost, portable wound therapy device.

https://bit.ly/4dvIYWJ

05/21/2026

What’s happening in Washington, and what does it mean for tech transfer?

Join the July AUTM Watercooler on July 20 from Noon–1 p.m. ET as AUTM CEO Steve Susalka and Advocacy & Alliances Coordinator Mike Waring share updates on AUTM’s recent advocacy efforts and the latest legislative and regulatory developments impacting the field.

Bring your questions and stay informed on the issues shaping innovation and commercialization.

Register now: https://bit.ly/4eYnhQe

05/20/2026

All your favorite AUTM courses. One place. One week. 📚

Join us September 15–17 in Charlotte for AUTM University, where tech transfer professionals can choose from six in-depth courses designed to strengthen the skills that power innovation forward.

Whether you’re building your foundation or sharpening specialized expertise in agreements, compliance, operations, startups, software, or finance, AUTM University delivers practical learning you can apply right away.

Early registration rates are available through June 22.

Register now and secure your spot: https://bit.ly/4wFxvLD