{"id":128346,"date":"2025-12-17T01:58:00","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T07:58:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=128346"},"modified":"2025-12-16T11:01:19","modified_gmt":"2025-12-16T17:01:19","slug":"unemed-kicks-off-innovation-ambassador-program","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unmc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/12\/17\/unemed-kicks-off-innovation-ambassador-program\/","title":{"rendered":"UNeMed kicks off Innovation Ambassador program"},"content":{"rendered":"
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UNeMed completed the first round of training for its new Innovation Ambassadors program, wrapping up a workshop in November that gave the 13-person cohort a deep dive into intellectual property, technology transfer and commercialization.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Launched during the Innovation Awards ceremony in October, the Innovation Ambassadors program was created to help innovative faculty, staff and students who might have new inventions, discoveries or other ideas and don’t know where to turn or what to expect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 13 ambassadors are an expert group of experienced faculty inventors empowered to act as mentors, advisers and advocates for colleagues who are unfamiliar or even skeptical of the innovation or technology transfer process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNeMed started the Innovation Ambassador program to expand the visibility of technology commercialization and deepen the connections between researchers and UNeMed, said President and CEO Michael Dixon, PhD.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur first cohort of ambassadors brings remarkable experience translating discoveries into real-world solutions,\u201d Dr. Dixon said. \u201cBy activating this network of knowledgeable and engaged researchers, we aim to make the commercialization process more approachable, more connected and ultimately more impactful for the entire research community.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a group, the Innovation Ambassadors have disclosed 249 inventions, applied for 199 patents \u2014 44 of which have issued \u2014 built five startup companies and have had 20 technologies licensed. They have amassed more than $4 million in additional grants, sponsored research and funding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nathan Hatch, PhD, the program director and a licensing specialist at UNeMed, said the program already has yielded positive results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“We had some great discussions that directed us toward some potential changes we can make to improve our operations,” he said. “This is just getting started, and they’ve already demonstrated just how impactful we expect this program to be over the next few years.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UNeMed’s Innovation Ambassadors are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n