The Kentucky Network for Innovation and Commercialization (KYNETIC) has named the winners of its Fall 2021 (Cycle 4) round of early-stage commercialization grants.
KYNETIC is a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) and part of the national NIH Proof-of-Concept Network. The grants are awarded to faculty, staff and student innovator teams across Kentucky for new, innovative products that have the potential to impact human health, according to a news release.
The KYNETIC program’s goal is to distribute $650,000 per year into research-based technologies. This cycle offered awards of up to $33,000 and debuted a new evaluation and awarding system to prioritize geographic diversity of awardees. You can check out the full list of the projects and the innovators behind them below.
“We are grateful for the KYNETIC program’s collaborative nature and statewide engagement,” said Monique Kuykendoll Quarterman, KYNETIC co-investigator and executive director of Kentucky Commercialization Ventures, in the release. “KYNETIC has been nationally recognized for being a leader in its approach to inclusive innovation and early-stage, non-dilutive investment.”
The KYNETIC program is led by the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville, and the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. Applications are first evaluated by a statewide internal advisory committee consisting of higher education administrators across Kentucky. Finalists advance to review by an External Review Board of industry leaders and subject matter experts, which then makes award recommendations to the NIH for final approval.
The KYNETIC Fall 2021 (Cycle 4) awardees include:
- Pediatric NeuroRecovery Posture Control System (University of Louisville)
- Dr. Andrea Behrman
- Development of a Multitenant Mixed/Virtual Reality Platform for Increasing Awareness of Implicit Bias in Child Welfare Decision-Making: A Public Health Crisis (Western Kentucky University)
- Dr. Daniel Boamah
- Dr. Michael Galloway
- Dr. Kimberly Green
- Dr. Austin Griffiths
- Dr. April Murphy
- Mr. Mark Simpson
- Novel Compounds for Diagnosing, Treating, and Monitoring Triple Negative Breast Cancer (Eastern Kentucky University)
- Dr. Lindsay Cormier
- Dr. Lisa Middleton
- Dr. Margaret Ndinguri
- Flexible Suction Coagulator for Endoscopic Surgeries (University of Kentucky)
- Dr. Mark Fritz
- Dr. Moamen Gabr
- Dr. Guigen Zhang
- Development of Novel VMAT2 Inhibitors for the Treatment of Methamphetamine Use Disorder (University of Kentucky)
- Dr. R. Kip Guy
- Dr. Michael Bardo
- Dr. Linda Dwoskin
- Vertify Probe: Intraoperative Device for Measurement of Bone Quality (University of Louisville)
- Dr. Stuart Williams
- Dr. Maxwell Boakye
- Dr. Michael Voor
The next round of KYNETIC opens on Jan. 3, 2022. All of Kentucky’s public, higher education institutions are eligible to apply for the grants. For more information, visit UK or UofL's KYNETIC websites.
