Union is joining the NY National Science Foundation Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Hub, sharing its experience supporting entrepreneurship at undergraduate institutions and helping more faculty and students explore how to bring their scientific and engineering discoveries to the marketplace.
The NSF I-Corps Hubs form the operational backbone of the National Innovation Network, comprising universities, NSF-funded and other researchers, established entrepreneurs, local and regional entrepreneurial communities and federal agencies. The New York hub is led by the City University of New York (CUNY).
“We are thrilled that Union is joining the Hub,” said John Blaho, director for Industrial-Academic Research, CUNY in a release announcing the partnership. “Union is particularly experienced with the challenges of forging an entrepreneurial pathway at undergraduate institutions that don’t often have tech transfer experience or resources, and I’m excited to see how that expertise can impact and grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in our region.”
Ann M. Anderson, the Agnes S. MacDonald Professor of Mechanical Engineering, will lead Union’s efforts. She will be joined by Brad Bruno, professor of mechanical engineering, and Mary Carroll ’86, the Dwane W. Crichton Professor of Chemistry. Working closely with students, Anderson and Carroll invented, developed and patented a novel, rapid approach to making aerogels. Since 2009, they have collaborated with Bruno on catalytic aerogels for automotive pollution mitigation.
Other faculty will be recruited to participate.
“We have experience of navigating tech transfer from the perspective of being an undergraduate institution; we understand what it takes and the challenges often found along the way,” Anderson said. “The National Science Foundation offers important support for research at undergraduate institutions, but very few of those entities are involved with I-Corps or other programs supporting entrepreneurship. We know how to address that disconnect, and I’m excited to bring that understanding to other institutions like ours and share pathways for faculty to see a broader impact to society from their work.”
The opportunity to join the Hub grew out of Union’s hosting a SUITED Workshop Series—Supporting Undergraduate Institutions in Technology and Entrepreneurship Development— in 2023 and 2024. The series brought together nearly 100 participants, including faculty and staff from undergraduate institutions, 29 subject matter experts and 15 mentors to share best practices of how to facilitate the progress of research from academic lab to the marketplace.
Anderson said her group will be focusing on working with faculty at PUIs (predominately undergraduate institutions) to educate them about paths for broadening their research impact via tech transfer and possible commercialization.
“Mary and I did that after participating in I-Corps in 2013 and then founding SunThru (which is expanding upon and commercializing aerogel technology developed at Union,” Anderson said. “We gained a lot of knowledge about how to do that at a PUI. Our plan is to run workshops at other PUIs and then eventually run a Regional I-Corps program at Union for PUIs.”
Anderson said that as a Hub partner, “we are excited to plan for a SUITED Roadshow to launch this fall, offering in-person meetings that will bring our expertise to undergraduate institutions in the Northeast region, and perhaps even beyond. We are also hoping to implement a follow up system to help those who participated in our past SUITED workshops to maintain their momentum, specifically addressing the needs of PUIs.”
Joining the Hub comes at a time when the College is sharpening its focus on innovation and entrepreneurship.
“Being invited to join the Hub gives us credibility in this area,” said Anderson. “It also gives us access to tremendous tech innovation and transfer resources in the area that will benefit faculty and students.”
