Message from Alicia Löffler

Dear members of the Northwestern community,

The COVID-19 pandemic derailed so much of our daily life. As labs closed, remote work emerged an unavoidable necessity, and in-person collaboration stalled, I wondered what might become of our lively innovative community at Northwestern.

In no time, I received an emphatic answer.

Committed to confronting a mounting public health crisis, our faculty and students leveraged their expertise to produce ventilators, reposition therapeutic programs, and develop diagnostic testing. Such resilient, noble-minded efforts underscored our community’s enterprising spirit and fueled INVO’s resolve to service our community.

In addition to automating many of our critical operations, we adapted to the new virtual world by showcasing Northwestern innovation through Tech Talk and Startup Demo videos – channels that increased the visibility of Northwestern-bred innovations to potential partners and investors around the globe.

INVO also expanded translation beyond our traditional focus in STEM fields. For instance, recognizing critical needs around fair access to education, we devoted a round of our N.XT Fund to stimulate translation of four education- enhancing technologies from the social sciences and humanities.

Our momentum as a community of big thinkers and status quo challengers continues propelling our translational and entrepreneurial ecosystem, a reality this report highlights. Whether through groundbreaking discoveries, repurposing old technologies, or increasing efficiencies, our innovators – who touch fields ranging from advanced materials and therapeutics to manufacturing and health services – embrace a collective mission to stir change and unlock solutions that improve society and impact lives.

Determined to support these efforts, INVO continues crafting strategic partnerships designed to elevate commercialization prospects. The new University Technology Licensing Program (UTLP), for example, enables companies to easily explore and access technologies from Northwestern and 14 peer research universities, while INVO’s still-growing collaboration with Deerfield Management is accelerating the translation of novel biomedical technologies, such us pharmacology researcher Paul DeCaen’s work on kidney disease.

Not to be overlooked, our student entrepreneurs continue tackling societal problems with daring, industrious intent. The Garage thrives as a dynamic hub for student entrepreneurship, headlined by a record number of applicants in 2021 for VentureCat, Northwestern’s annual student startup competition.

Of course, it does not stop there.

Spurred by faculty insights gained from our strategic framework committee and the entrepreneurial thinking of Northwestern leadership and the Board of Trustees’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Committee headed by Kimberly Querrey, the new KQ startup accelerator captures this energized growth. The Evanston-based physical space will drive the commercialization of deep science technologies and serve as a community manifestation of our entrepreneurial leadership.

As much as the pandemic halted some elements of life, please know this: we carry a renewed sense of purpose into the bright days ahead.

Alicia Löffler
Executive Director, INVO
Associate Provost, Innovation and New Ventures
Associate Vice President for Research