The event, hosted by the UofL , honored faculty and staff from five schools and colleges for accomplishments in developing new technologies, working with industry and launching research-backed startups.

“We like to say UofL’s ‘igniting innovation’ — and that’s absolutely true,” said president Kim Schatzel, giving opening remarks at the event. “Since joining the UofL community, I’ve seen that our campus is full-to-bursting with creativity and ideas, some with the power to transform the way we live and work. If UofL is igniting innovation, our innovators are the spark, and the work they do has a lasting and positive impact here on our campus and well beyond.”

Six major awards were also presented, including Innovator of the Year. This year, that honor went to School of Medicine researcher Nobuyuki Matoba, recognized for his work to tackle devastating diseases, inflammatory bowel disease and cancer, through groundbreaking new vaccines, immunotherapeutics and treatments that leverage protein engineering and plant-based biotechnology.����

In addition to Matoba, major awards were also presented to:��

• • Dan Popa, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the Catalyst Award for his work to build an environment that encourages innovation at the Louisville Automation and Robotics Research Institute (LARRI);
  • Geoff Clark, Joe Burlison and Kenneth Palmer, of the School of Medicine, who won the Industry Partnership Award for their longstanding commercialization relationship with Qualigen Therapeutics;��
  • Cheri Levinson and Christina Ralph-Nearman, of the College of Arts and Sciences, who won a Trailblazer Award for their work to develop novel virtual reality and personalized treatment tools for eating disorders and launch a startup, Awaken Digital Health Solutions, to drive them to market;
  • Kunal Kate, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won a Trailblazer Award in part for his work with the Kentucky MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center to help minority-owned businesses leverage cutting-edge technology;��
  • Noppadon Sathitsuksanoh, of the J.B. Speed School of Engineering, who won the night’s final Trailblazer Award for his work to develop new ways of producing sustainable fuels and chemicals from waste materials;

Over the past two years, 57 of the honorees earned new patents, 28 had their technology optioned or licensed to a company and 68 were awarded innovation grants, such as or , aimed at driving technologies to market. In the past fiscal year, the work of these innovators led to one new startup, 319 agreements, 49 new patents and $15.6 million in innovation-related income.

UofL Executive Vice President for Research and Innovation Kevin Gardner, whose office organizes the event, said those numbers represent real-world impact — and more, impact that can save and improve lives.��

“The innovations our researchers are developing have the potential to diagnose, treat and cure disease and overall make the way we live and work better,” he said. “What we celebrate reflects what we value as an institution — and with awards like these, we show that we value entrepreneurship and innovation.”

Backed by a new roughly $500,000 grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration, the center will provide research, assessment, recommendations and workforce development to industries looking to adopt — or adapt to — the disruptive technology at the core of the fourth industrial revolution.��

UofL researcher Faisal Aqlan, who runs the center with colleagues Lihui Bai, Kunal Kate and Will Metcalf, said this revolution — also known as or Enterprise 4.0. — has the potential to radically transform a number of industries, and the benefits will go to companies that plan ahead.������

“Think of a smart factory, where all the machines can talk to each other and anticipate or even address problems,” said Aqlan, a center co-director and associate professor of industrial engineering at the . “Similar changes have happened in logistics and healthcare, where smart, connected technologies have helped increase productivity and accuracy, lower labor costs and improve safety. These technologies can greatly improve operations, but they have to be implemented correctly.”��

According to a recent , just 10% of companies had a long-range strategy for integrating these technologies — and those companies were innovating and growing faster. A full two thirds of companies surveyed had no formal strategy at all.������

“Strategy is absolutely critical to success in leveraging these technologies,” said Bai, a center co-director who also leads UofL’s Logistics and Distribution Institute (LoDI). “Our goal is to help companies understand where they are in terms of readiness —�� maybe they’re missing infrastructure or the workforce that’s needed to integrate and maintain. Then, UofL researchers will give them a solid roadmap to where they want to go.”����

CORE4.0 will engage three industry sectors including manufacturing, logistics and healthcare, through partnership with Western Kentucky University, Metals Innovation Initiative (Mi2) and Louisville Healthcare CEO Council. The center draws on the combined research strength of the UofL’s LoDI and the , with the industry expertise of the Louisville Healthcare CEO Council and the Metals Innovation Initiative (MI2).��

“UofL and its partners represent significant earned experience and strength in each of these sectors, and with cutting-edge technology,” said Metcalf, a co-investigator and associate vice president in the UofL Office of Research and Innovation. “We look forward to working with industry to leverage that strength to enter Industry 4.0.”������

Industry leaders interested in working with the Center for Organizational Readiness toward Enterprise 4.0 can contact uofllogistics@louisville.edu.����

The grant, funded by the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Minority Business Development Agency (MBDA), will launch the Kentucky MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center, one of only four such programs nationwide.

“There’s huge economic potential in additive manufacturing,” said Sundar Atre, endowed chair of manufacturing and materials at UofL and a lead on the new grant. “I see the pathway to a multibillion-dollar economy built around this in Louisville — it’s not unrealistic. With this new program, we will work to make that ecosystem open to everyone.”

The new center will build on the work of Atre and his team at UofL’s , housed in the . AMIST will use its faculty, staff and 10,000 square feet of dedicated facilities to provide minority-owned manufacturing businesses with product design, technology support, talent pipeline and business development assistance in additive manufacturing.

AMIST has put a strong focus on helping manufacturers adopt these disruptive technologies. The institute already supports training for minority-owned businesses in West Louisville and recently launched a new program to provide small- and medium-sized manufacturers with training, mentorship and UofL-backed research, development and consulting.

“We know Kentucky’s manufacturing industry has a rich and proud history,” said Will Metcalf, associate vice president for research development and strategic partnerships in UofL’s Office of Research and Innovation, who leads the grant with Atre. “This is a chance to leverage UofL’s research strengths to empower manufacturers within our community to use this technology and engineer a future economy that’s built around disruptive, inclusive innovation.”��

The will provide technical and business development assistance to build capacity of minority-owned companies, expand manufacturing ecosystems and facilitate contracts and financing. Miguel��Estién, acting national director��of the MBDA, said efforts to improve equity for minority-owned businesses could add close to $5 trillion per year to U.S. economic output.

“Supporting and promoting this community is a good investment,” he said. “Money spent in the minority business community stays in the community. It is good for the U.S. economy, and it enhances our credibility as a nation because it should be our aspiration to make the economy work for everybody.”��

UofL also recently received a $50,000 pilot grant to fund work to expand access to additive manufacturing technology for minority-owned, innovation-focused startups in Louisville. That grant, from the U.S. Small Business Development Administration’s Growth Accelerator Fund Competition to support STEM entrepreneurs, is led by UofL Assistant Professor Kunal Kate, who also will help lead the Kentucky MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center.

Kentucky Lieutenant Governor Jacqueline Coleman said the new center builds on the state’s demonstrated success in manufacturing.

“Through this effort, UofL’s AMIST is opening doors to manufacturing to all our citizens by being��one of only four such programs nationwide recognized by the Minority Business Development Agency for its innovative work,” Coleman said. “We need to be more inclusive in manufacturing and expand opportunities for women and minorities. I applaud AMIST’s efforts in creating an inclusive, innovation ecosystem around new economic opportunities for all Kentuckians.”

Companies can learn more and get involved by visiting the Kentucky MBDA Advanced Manufacturing Center .