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INNOVATION INSIDER
February 2026
| | UK Innovate’s TRUST Hub translates research into community impact | | |
In a recent UKNow Q&A, Serenity Wright, Ed.D., senior executive director for innovation, community health and societal impact, shares how UK Innovate’s TRUST Hub is advancing translational research for impact across Kentucky.
From human-centered design to community health innovation and entrepreneurial partnerships, TRUST Hub is building trusted networks that move ideas beyond theory and into action. Discover how this shared framework is creating sustained, community-centered solutions across the Commonwealth.
| | UK to feature ‘AI in Action’ at Feb. 26 event | | |
Date: Feb 26, 2026
Time: 10AM - 2PM ET
Location: Gatton Student Center Social Staircase, 160 Ave of Champions, Lexington, KY 40508
Hosted By: University of Kentucky
Join UK and Microsoft on Feb. 26 for CATS AI in Action, a campus showcase highlighting AI innovation across the Commonwealth. From interactive engagement zones to new Microsoft tools available to students and faculty, the event offers a firsthand look at how UK is leading responsible, transdisciplinary AI advancement.
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Launch Blue Announces
Spring 2026 UAccel I-Corp Cohort
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Launch Blue has selected 11 teams for the Spring 2026 UAccel I-Corps program, including four teams in the UAccel: Health Care track. This competitive, experiential program supports innovators as they explore commercialization pathways for research and community-driven solutions.
Delivered in partnership with UK Innovate and Kentucky Commercialization Ventures, UAccel is part of the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps network and prepares teams to move inventions toward real-world impact.
| | IN THE LAB: WATERSTEP DEMONSTRATION | Developed at the University of Kentucky, researchers have determined the first experimental crystal structure of trabectedin bound to DNA, providing high-resolution insight into the drug’s binding interactions, DNA sequence specificity and induced-fit conformational changes. This advance moves beyond prior computational models and delivers a reliable structural framework for the rational design of next-generation trabectedin analogues. By enabling more precise optimization of potency, selectivity and safety, this technology supports the development of improved anti-cancer therapeutics across multiple tumor types and presents a strong licensing opportunity for oncology drug developers. | |
UK Innovate is hiring an Accounting Specialist. This role supports financial operations by managing reporting and reconciliation processes, assists with budgeting activities and ensures accurate tracking of innovation-related funds and expenditures.
Deadline to Apply: 02/28/2026
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UK Innovate is seeking a student to serve as a UK Innovate Fellow, a hands-on opportunity to support innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization initiatives across campus.
The position offers valuable experience in research engagement, ecosystem development and strategic communications while working closely with the UK Innovate team.
Deadline to Apply: 03/07/2026
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UK Innovate is hiring a Contract Specialist. This role supports innovation partnerships by drafting and reviewing agreements, facilitating negotiations and ensuring compliance while helping move research and commercialization efforts forward.
Deadline to Apply: 03/12/2026
| | IN THE LAB: WATERSTEP DEMONSTRATION | | |
Date: March 2, 2026
Time: 11AM - 1PM ET
Location: Engineering Quad, UK Campus, Lexington, KY 40508
Hosted by: Sustainable Futures Design Lab (SFDL)
Experience innovative water purification and disaster response technologies at an outdoor demonstration hosted by WaterStep and the Sustainable Futures Design Lab. The event will feature live system showcases and conversations about ongoing partnerships with UK faculty and collaborators.
| | NEW STAFF MEMBER: DAVID DEVORE | | |
UK Innovate welcomes David DeVore as executive director of expert connect and R&D manager for the UK Pigman College of Engineering.
With more than 30 years of leadership experience across the technology sector, DeVore will help connect industry partners with UK’s advanced research capabilities, world-class faculty and cutting-edge facilities to advance impactful innovation and research collaborations.
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North Fork Valley Pharmacy
Innovators: Bejamin Jerald Coy, Deborah L Duckworth, Jared Tate Greene, Laura Elizabeth McMahon, J. Daniel Moore, Thomas Platt, Lindsey Sheehan, Morgan E Stacey, Cari Twait, Maribeth Wright
MedChemExpress LLC
Innovators: Kai Ding, Chang-Guo Zhan, Fang Zheng, Ziyuan Zhou
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