Program Overview

The Innovation Ambassadors Program is an institutional initiative to provide Vanderbilt faculty with peer-delivered access to information and assistance related to innovation and entrepreneurship on campus. The Program achieves this goal by recruiting faculty Ambassadors from departments across campus and training them on relevant topics, empowering them to serve as liaisons between researchers and innovation programs and resources at Vanderbilt.

Ambassadors receive instruction on a variety of commercialization, intellectual property, and entrepreneurship topics, as well as application of Vanderbilt policies and procedures, all designed to enable them to help others in their departments obtain quick guidance and peer support for all their innovation and entrepreneurship needs. The Innovation Ambassadors Program is administered by the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization (CTTC). Like all CTTC-related services, the Program serves the entire Vanderbilt research community, spanning both the University and the Medical Center, and aligns with institutional priorities to increase faculty engagement in research translation and commercialization to achieve real-world impact. The Program’s success is enabled by the commitment of the Ambassadors and support from their departments.

Ambassador Responsibilities

Each Ambassador serves their home department and/or division, committing to volunteer for a minimum of 2-year term with the program. They receive training in relevant policies such as Intellectual Property and Conflict of Interest, and are kept abreast of new programs for enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship across campus. Additionally, the Ambassadors connect quarterly as a group to share experiences, successes, and challenges and to identify new initiatives to enhance Vanderbilt’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. As part of the program, Ambassadors are asked to deliver periodic departmental presentations on innovation and entrepreneurship efforts at Vanderbilt and in the local community. Ambassadors serve in additional innovation-related roles as well, including as guest judges during pitch competitions at the Wond’ry and as members of the Innovation Catalyst Fund Review Committee.

Benefits

While Ambassadors bring a clear value to their home department and/or division, they also have access to many benefits. As recognized innovation leaders on campus, Ambassadors are closely connected with both VU/VUMC and regional leadership. Networking and education opportunities are provided through presentations and access to regional conferences, and they receive ongoing training and updates on topics such as emerging trends in startup funding and local and national funding sources. 

The Ambassadors continue to succeed in increasing awareness of innovation-related programming and resources across campus, contributing to a rise in invention disclosure numbers and startup interactions since the launch of the program in 2022.