Office of the Provost and Innovation Institute fund three $50,000 technology development projects
Three new technologies have joined the growing roster of projects supported by the Provost’s Proof of Concept Fund, a $50,000 competitive grant available to Tulane faculty, staff and trainees. This fund is designed to support the development of promising Tulane technologies, helping to advance them closer to the marketplace where they can create impact benefiting society. “The overall response to the program has been phenomenal, with Tulane innovators requesting almost $1.6 million for project development since the program launched,” said Clay Christian, Executive Director for Commercialization at the Tulane Innovation Institute, who oversees the program.
Project winners for this cycle are diverse, ranging from an artificial intelligence-powered medical resource for physicians and students to a deep tissue oxygenation monitor to a platform for generating bespoke bacteria-destroying viruses. Details on the fall 2023 cohort can be found below, and a full list of funded projects can be found on the Innovation Institute’s website. The Provost’s Proof of Concept Fund runs once per semester, with applications now open for spring 2024 through March 1, 2024.
Provost’s Proof of Concept Fund fall 2023 winners:
Cell-Free Bacteriophage Synthesis Production Platform for Clinically Relevant Antibacterial Activity
- Nicholas Sandoval | Associate Professor, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering | Science and Engineering
TU4E1: “Tulane For Everyone” The Confluence of Artificial Intelligence and Medical Wisdom for Precision
- Abdullah “Alex” Attia | Research Scientist, Department of Surgery | Medicine
Precise Photoacoustic Patch
- Carolyn Bayer | Associate Professor, Biomedical Engineering | Science & Engineering
“The enthusiastic response from our community, and the extraordinary quality of all of the proposals we received, shows that this program is addressing a real need for our faculty and students,” said Robin Forman, Tulane Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. “So far, we have awarded $390,324 to eight projects across the university. We are investing in the potential to dramatically enhance the impact of Tulane research, and we are all excited to see what the future holds for the awardees and others who are exploring, with the help of the Tulane Innovation Institute, the commercial potential of their discoveries.”
