ART: Translating Engineering Driven Health Initiatives From Idea to Impact

尽管特拉华大学表现出高水平的基础研究生产力，但翻译研究活动的水平仍然相对较低。加速研究翻译(ART)项目引入了加速创新生态系统，相关利益相关者和企业合作伙伴未满足的需求和用户定义的差距提供了灵感。工程驱动的健康空间和其他应用研究领域的一群创新者将把受使用启发的研究转化为具有明确应用的使能技术，从而产生有影响力的技术转化。来自整个校园的具有创业精神的个人将从教育和劳动力发展的培训活动中受益。作为特拉华州和地区的经济引擎，特拉华大学(UD)利用其世界级人才为公民和国家创造具有社会效益的新技术，这一点至关重要。该项目将：(1)加强加州大学应用启发和翻译研究的机构能力，(2)不断教育新一批翻译研究受训人员成为企业家或在公共/私营部门寻求面向翻译研究的职业，以及(3)培养和培养一批艺术大使，他们是创新文化中的变革推动者。一系列能力建设活动，包括在技术转让和企业参与方面设立关键职位，将受PTIE.org启发的激励措施纳入晋升和任期政策，以及简化促进企业伙伴关系的流程，将与UD经济创新和伙伴关系办公室的业务相结合。描述对探索其发明的商业化潜力感兴趣的创新者可用的内部机制和支持的培训计划将与Horn Entretreurship计划合作，向不同学科的本科生和研究生、博士后研究人员、工作人员、教职员工和访问学者推出。这种加速的研究转化模式将通过每年至少两个新的种子转化研究项目进行演示，工程驱动健康研究所作为初始测试平台。农业、社会科学或其他领域的其他创业活动中心将被确定并邀请参加所有艺术项目。与普林斯顿大学的导师定期互动，分享翻译活动的专业知识，也将使人们能够就区域创新引擎展开丰富的对话。短期内，艺术活动将推动生物医学领域的创新和转化，而长期而言，通过这一过程建立的基础设施将加快联合大学多个单位的创业和商业化活动。除了量化成果，该项目还将通过鼓励创业心态和培育创新卓越对校园文化产生深远影响。这种类型的环境将吸引志同道合的学生和教职员工，他们注定要通过创新来改善人类状况。该项目由技术、创新和伙伴关系(TIP)委员会和激励竞争研究计划(EPSCoR)以及STEM卓越公平部门(EES/EDU)内的Louis Stokes少数人参与联盟(LSAMP)计划联合资助。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Despite the high level of fundamental research productivity exhibited at the University of Delaware, the level of translational research activity remains relatively low. This Accelerating Research Translation (ART) project introduces an accelerated innovation ecosystem where unmet needs and use-defined gaps derived from relevant stakeholders and corporate partners provide inspiration. A cluster of innovators in the engineering driven health space and other applied research domains will convert use-inspired research into enabling technology with well-defined application resulting in impactful technology translation. Entrepreneurially minded individuals from across campus will benefit from training activities for education and workforce development. It is critically important that as an economic engine for Delaware state and region, the University of Delaware (UD) leverages its world-class talent for producing novel technologies with societal benefit for citizens and the nation. This project will: (1) strengthen institutional capacity for use-inspired and translational research at UD, (2) continually educate new cohorts of trainees in translational research to become entrepreneurs or seek translational research-oriented careers in public/private sectors, and (3) create and nurture a set of ART ambassadors who are change agents in a culture of innovation. A series of capacity-building activities involving the creation of critical positions in tech transfer and corporate engagement, inclusion of PTIE.org-inspired incentives in promotion and tenure policies, and streamlined processes to promote corporate partnership will be integrated with UD Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships operations. Training programs describing the internal mechanisms and support available to innovators who are interested in exploring the commercialization potential of their inventions will be rolled out in partnership with the Horn Entrepreneurship program to a diverse set of undergraduate and graduate students, postdoctoral researchers, staff, faculty, and visiting scholars across disciplines. This accelerated model of research translation will be demonstrated with at least two new Seed Translational Research Projects per year, with the Institute for Engineering Driven Health serving as the initial test platform. Additional hubs of entrepreneurial activity in agriculture, social sciences, or other domains will be identified and invited to participate in all ART programs. Regular interactions with mentors at Princeton University to share expertise in translational activities will also enable rich conversations about regional innovation engines. In the short term, ART activities will drive innovation and translation in the biomedical arena, while in the long term the infrastructure developed through this process will accelerate entrepreneurship and commercialization activities across multiple units at UD. Beyond the quantitative outcomes, this project will have a profound impact on the campus culture by encouraging an entrepreneurial mindset and fostering innovation excellence. This type of environment will attract like-minded students and faculty destined to improve the human condition by bringing innovations to life. This project is jointly funded by the Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP) Directorate and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) and the Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (LSAMP) program within the Division of Equity for Excellence in STEM (EES/EDU).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.