Seven Vanderbilt faculty research projects get innovation catalyst funding

Vanderbilt has announced seven awardees in the latest round of its Innovation Catalyst Fund, an initiative that supports translational research that has promising commercial potential. The fund, which is available to all university and Vanderbilt University Medical Center faculty, helps tackle real-world problems. It provides vital support in three key areas: proving ideas can be commercialized, supporting early-stage innovation projects, and furthering research that benefits the community and society.

Distinguished awardees from the latest funding cycle include:

• Jad Abumrad, Distinguished Research Professor of Communication of Science and Technology, for Waiting Room Stories.
• Panambur Bhandari, assistant professor of plastic surgery, for Intrinsic Glove: Saving Traumatized Hands.
• Lisa Fazio, associate professor of psychology and human development, for Developing a Novel Platform for Social Science Research Using LLM Persona-Agents.
• Scott Guelcher, professor of chemical, biomolecular and biomedical engineering, for Preclinical Testing of Resorbable Surgical Mesh.
• Eric Skaar, University Distinguished Professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, for A Stabilizing Agent that Enhances the Resistance of Probiotics and Recombinant Enzymes to Heat and Desiccation.
• Keivan Stassun, professor of astronomy and Stevenson Professor of Physics, for the Learning with Optimal Guidance for Autistic Navigators (LOGAN) Virtual Driving Instruction System.
• John Wikswo, University Distinguished Professor of Biomedical Engineering, for Accelerating the Development and Commercialization of a Robot Scientist/Self-Driving Biological Laboratory.

The fund is spearheaded by the Office of the Vice Provost for Research and Innovation, in consultation with the Division of Finance, VUMC's Office of Research and academic leaders across Vanderbilt's colleges and schools. The Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization manages the program with support from the Brock Center and the Wond'ry, Vanderbilt's Innovation Center. The collaborative effort underscores the university's commitment to promoting translational and commercially oriented research initiatives.

All submitted applications undergo a rigorous peer review process by the Catalyst Fund Review Committee, which is made up of Vanderbilt University and VUMC faculty members across four primary research domains: arts and humanities, bioscience and health care, engineering and physical sciences, and social sciences. Funding decisions are made by a council of Vanderbilt leadership in research and innovation.

In its inaugural year, the Innovation Catalyst Fund received 59 proposals and awarded more than $800,000 to support the development of 20 promising projects. The money was allocated to such vital activities as prototype development, proof-of-concept validation, software development, process improvement and the advancement of new organizational capabilities.

By providing support for projects that have commercial and societal significance, the Innovation Catalyst Fund empowers Vanderbilt and VUMC faculty to make real progress toward tangible and positive impacts on the world. This funding cycle ends Feb. 28; and this year's future cycles will be open during June and October.