CONVERGE
News and Notes from around The Park
October 15, 2020 | Issue 1
Bill Dean, Our New
Executive Director
Bill Dean, a veteran research park and financial executive with more than three decades of experience in developing innovative ideas for research parks, life science parks and biotech incubators, joined the Auburn community as the executive director of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation earlier this year.

“My interest over the course of my career has been at the intersection of business and technology, working with those who innovate, collaborate and create new, world-changing technologies,” Dean said. “The Auburn Research and Technology Foundation is central to the university’s innovation ecosystem of leading technologies and I look forward to being a part of their many resources shaping our technology future into economic opportunities that can solve societal issues.”

LAUNCH slide image

Call for Applicants: LAUNCH Innovation Grants Program

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development is helping Auburn faculty move research into the marketplace with the 2020-21 LAUNCH Innovation Grants Program.

The LAUNCH program, now in its sixth year, was conceived by the Auburn University Research and Economic Development Advisory Board as a mechanism to bridge the gap between innovative research and the marketplace. The program was created in 2015 with the support of the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development with the goal of creating an endowment of $10 million that would provide annual funding for LAUNCH Innovation grants. To date, the LAUNCH program has awarded a total of $579,000 to entrepreneurial Auburn faculty, resulting in a license agreement, two pending license agreements, an option agreement and follow-on funding from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs.

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development is accepting applications for the 2021 LAUNCH Innovation Grants Program from Sept. 14 to Oct. 26, 2020.


Brewed up any good ideas lately? Check out this year's
Halloween Pitch Competition

Students should be sure to check out the second annual Halloween Pitch Competition sponsored by the Harbert College of Business. Auburn University students with business ideas can compete for a share of $2,000 in startup capital.

“Any student here at the university from any college that has a business idea should enter,” urged Lou Bifano, Director, Entrepreneurship Strategy at Auburn University.

LAUNCH award winner, Nutrivert, wins
Cade Prize for antibiotic replacement technologies.

Antibiotics have long been used to promote growth in production animals, but such broad use has been tied to the development of resistant bacteria. The market, and some governments, are pushing for a replacement for antibiotics in agriculture.

Nutrivert's Auburn-developed technology is a microparticle formulation that reduces inflammation in the animal. The co-owned technology focuses on the use of a postbiotic — molecules derived from bacteria – that also reduces inflammation in the host animal.

Nutrivert, LLC was formed on the foundation of these technologies that are licensed through Auburn’s Office of Innovation Advancement and Commercialization (IAC).

Autumn in Auburn is lovely, and cool weather is finally here. Our green spaces and walking trails are ready to be explored.
FROM THE EDITOR

CONVERGE: News and Notes
from around The Park is a newly created publication from Auburn Research Park. CONVERGE aims to connect with members of The Park community and in turn, help them connect with one other and with university expertise.

In the weeks to come, we'll highlight innovative activity in The Park and on campus, link you to resources that may be useful to your organization, as well as share opportunities for personal and professional networking right here in our own backyard.

As a community, we are entering a new chapter in the life of Auburn Research Park. Investments in people, programming, facilities and infrastructure are transforming The Park into the vibrant ecosystem envisioned more than ten years ago by its founders. Thank you for writing this new chapter with us.

In the next few weeks, Amsterdam Cafe at The Park will be opening in the Research and Innovation Center. Inviting and conveniently located, the cafe is an ideal place to catch up with colleagues over a meal, a cup of coffee, or a drink after work--indoors or outside on the covered terraces. Until then, stay up to date by following us on Facebook and Instagram and by keeping an eye out for us in your inbox.

Thank you, again, for your role in making the Park the place where innovation begins,

Leslie Chapman
334.844.6047
The Park's New Research and Innovation Center is Open for Business
The Park's 105,000+ sf Research and Innovation Center opened on September 15, 2020. This unique, mixed-use facility is home to the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, the New Venture Accelerator, FullSteam Solutions, Amsterdam Cafe at The Park as well as a new event center, 540 at The Park.
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