At its core, the mission of Northwestern University’s Innovation and New Ventures Office (INVO) is straightforward: to catalyze the translation of Northwestern innovations to benefit the public and promote economic growth. But a straightforward mission does not mean simple execution. Achievement and ease, after all, rarely go hand in hand.
Sustainability-minded researchers at Northwestern have a new campus ally in the Trienens-Q Accelerator. A joint effort between Northwestern’s Paula M. Trienens Institute for Sustainability and Energy and the Querrey InQbation Lab, the University’s upstart initiative to translate research-driven innovation, the Trienens-Q Accelerator launched in early 2024.
Having devoted a quarter century of his professional life to the research, development, and commercialization of novel technologies, Phil Carter understands the arduous journey of bringing a discovery to market. Carter, director of strategic alliances at INVO, is helping Northwestern researchers carry their innovations into the world, where they can impact lives and broaden possibilities.
Leveraging the Farley Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation’s expertise in entrepreneurial education and the Querrey InQbation Lab’s translational experience, the two-day program delivered bite-sized educational sessions to help early-career research scientists like Sarah Berman understand the entrepreneurial journey.
With the Kellogg-Q Entrepreneurial Residency program, Kellogg and the Querrey InQbation Lab replace serendipity with intentionality. Introduced in 2022, the Kellogg-Q Entrepreneurial Residency pairs Northwestern innovators with entrepreneurially minded MBA students charged to stimulate the translation of high-impact research.
Katie Butcher joined INVO in 2018 after a lengthy career in licensing compliance, contract management, negotiating, and risk management for the likes of BMI, a global leader in music rights management, and Country Music Television as well as its parent company, Viacom. In the ensuing six years, Butcher has helped thrust numerous Northwestern-founded inventions into the marketplace with thoughtful and collaborative licensing partnerships.
The NM-Q Medical Device Studio, a new collaborative effort between Northwestern Medicine’s Mansueto Innovation Institute and Northwestern’s Querrey InQbation Lab, addresses the reality that solutions capable of improving procedures or streamlining care in the operating room or clinic often stall. The upstart initiative is helping Northwestern-based clinicians sharpen their inventions and pursue translation.
Back in 2015, The Garage opened as Northwestern University’s student startup hub. Modest at first, The Garage has evolved into a vibrant, interdisciplinary, and collaborative community of students and mentors committed to unlocking innovation and transforming society.