UF Innovate celebrates another record year of tech transfer impact at Standing InnOvation

UF Innovate | Tech Licensing celebrated the achievements of University of Florida innovators at its annual Standing InnOvation event on Wednesday, Oct. 21, recognizing the groundbreaking research discoveries made in fiscal year 2026.

Standing InnOvation honors UF innovators who disclosed, optioned, licensed, or had a patent issued in the fiscal year, which ended on June 30. This year’s celebration recognized hundreds of innovators who contributed to 463 new invention disclosures, 500 patent applications filed, 162 issued patents secured, 320 licensing agreements completed and 12 new startup companies launched in FY26. The event serves as a well-deserved “standing ovation” for excellent work across campus.

UF President Stuart Bell joined the innovators on stage to celebrate their accomplishments and recognize their contributions to the university’s research and innovation mission.

"You exemplify what is possible when world-class research is paired with entrepreneurship, industry engagement and a commitment to making a world impact," Bell told the crowd of innovators.

Among the innovators recognized at this year’s Standing InnOvation, one researcher stood out for the breadth and impact of his work. Duane Mitchell, M.D., Ph.D., was named this year’s Innovator of the Year, recognizing his success in translating discoveries into new technologies, clinical advances, and commercial opportunities.

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

1. Chip SCIF, which uses advanced chip packaging to create a secure enclosure around semiconductor chips.
2. Red-light Activated Photoinitiator for Dental Resin Materials, which uses a light-activated compound that responds to blue, green and red light to improve dental resin curing, particularly in thicker layers and hard-to-reach areas.
3. Non-Invasive Auricular Stimulation for Improvement of Breathing and Speech After Brain Injury combines gentle electrical stimulation through the outer ear with speech and language therapy to support brain recovery and improve communication after stroke or traumatic brain injury.
4. EdStream: An Integrated Messaging and Collaboration System for Learning Management Environments that integrates messaging, collaboration and academic administrative workflows into learning management systems such as Canvas to streamline communication among students, instructors, and staff.
5. Compositions and Methods to Induce Exercise-Like Metabolic Adaptation for Long-Term Health seeks to replicate the protective biological effects of exercise using blood-borne factors that may help prevent pathological tau protein formation and protect against neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
6. Engineered Anti-LAIR1 Antibodies with Reduced Immunogenicity and Enhanced T Cell Function were developed to enhance T-cell activity and strengthen the immune system's ability to fight cancer while reducing unwanted immune reactions.

The event celebrated the university's commitment to innovation and entrepreneurship and recognized the outstanding contributions of UF's innovators and researchers.