2022 Illinois Proof-of-Concept Program Awardees

The Office of Technology Management is proud to announce a new round of funded proof-of-concept proposals. The six awarded projects are:

• James Allison: Improving MSAC Efficiency and Reliability
• Joaquin Rodriguez-Lopez: Electrochemical Device for Environmental Suspended Particulate Matter Detection
• Ruby Mendenhall, Joe Bradley & Rachel Switzky: Communiversity Wellness Store
• Nenad Miljkovic: Abbott Power Plant Demonstration Of Dudurable Condensor Coating for High Efficiency Power Generation
• Pengfei Song: Real-time Super-Resolution Ultrasound Imaging
• Federico Zuckermann, Stephen Sligar: A Broadly Protective Vaccine Against Influenza Virus

The Illinois Proof-of-Concept program funds projects that facilitate the transformation of UIUC research innovations into products and services that benefit society. Each team will receive up to $50,000 to further the development of their innovation and move it closer to commercialization, licensing, and public use.

The selection process was extremely competitive, with OTM receiving more than 40 strong proposals from across campus. Proposals were reviewed by partners within the University's entrepreneurial ecosystem and then finalists presented to an external committee consisting of industry experts, entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists. The awardees represent the breadth of campus innovation. They are affiliated with 7 different colleges and units; three of the projects are related to healthcare and three are in the physical sciences.

2022 awardees from left: James Allison, Joe Bradley, Joaquin Rodriguez-Lopez, Ruby Mendenhall, Nenad Miljkovic, Stephen Sligar, Pengfei Song, Rachel Switzky, Federico Zuckermann