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University of Florida

Standing InnOvation celebrates 40 years of tech transfer and 30 years of biotech incubation


UF Innovate | Tech Licensing celebrated the achievements of University of Florida innovators at its eighth annual Standing InnOvation event on Wednesday, October 29, recognizing the groundbreaking research discoveries made in fiscal year 2025.

This year's event also marks 40 years since UF began transferring technologies from the lab into the marketplace and 30 years since it opened its first biotech incubator in Alachua, what is now called UF Innovate | Accelerate at Sid Martin Biotech.

The event honored 796 innovators, all of whom contributed in some way to 435 new technologies disclosed, 130 licenses, 130 issued patents, or the 9 new startup companies. Eric Wang, Ph.D., was named Innovator of the Year for his work on all aspects of neuromuscular and neurological diseases, as well as RNA biology. His lab focuses on myotonic dystrophy, a disease caused by a genetic mutation, and how the mutation causes problems in muscles, the heart and the brain.

The event also recognized six Inventions of the Year, each chosen by one of the six licensing teams. The six inventions include:

  1. HIPER-X: Transforming Data Communication Within High-Performance Computing Systems, which uses light to communicate between processing units, reducing energy consumption and increasing efficiency.
  2. Genetically Modified Plodia Interpunctella Silk and Uses Thereof, which engineers the Indianmeal moth to produce silk fibers containing therapeutic proteins.
  3. Integrative Framework for Predicting JAK Mutations and Their Impact on Drug Efficacy, which uses advanced AI to predict how mutations in JAK proteins affect their structure and function.
  4. Topical Formulation Offers New Hope for Treating Diaper Dermatitis in Premature Infants, which provides a protective barrier that helps prevent further damage while delivering antifungal and antibacterial agents to support faster healing.
  5. New One-Step ELISA Test Speeds Up Medical Diagnoses Without Refrigeration, which combines the coating protein, blocking agent and secondary antibody into a single freeze-dried package.
  6. AI-Accelerated Workflow for Superconductor Discovery, which applies artificial intelligence to make the discovery process of superconducting materials faster and more efficient.

The Standing InnOvation event also featured the third annual InnOvation Showcase, curated by UF Innovate | Pathways, which highlighted the latest innovations from 10 of the 16 UF colleges. Additionally, the event honored the winners of UF Innovate's Innovation Fund, which provides funding to support innovative projects. Three teams received $50,000 awards, and four teams received $25,000 awards.

The event was a celebration of the university's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship, and it recognized the outstanding contributions of UF's innovators and researchers.

Photo by SCAD Media