Bridging Ideas, Improving the Human Condition
The real-world impact of Vanderbilt’s research is felt globally. When we are able to bridge the gap between early discovery and the marketplace, we deliver tangible benefits to society in the form of new products and services. We can even save people’s lives.
Look no further than the Crash Cushions technology protecting drivers on most major highways, or Evusheld, which provided a critical shield for the immunocompromised during the pandemic and was deployed in our own hospitals across Tennessee–including VUMC–protecting and rescuing people in our own community.
Beyond saving lives, this bridging between ideas and products can improve the human condition on a broader scale. Technologies like Indego, the powered exoskeleton giving mobility back to those with paralysis, and Read180, which has revolutionized literacy for millions of students, started as disruptive ideas in our laboratories on campus and are now used by individuals around the world.
Leveraging the incredible innovations that spring from our research laboratories and clinical settings can also serve as a powerful engine for economic impact. Vanderbilt startup companies HeroWear (revolutionizing workplace safety through wearable exosuits) and nPhase (developing VUMC’s REDCap software for clinical trials data management for the commercial sector) are attracting capital, creating jobs, and generating revenues.
Together, these two ventures alone have already created more than 200 jobs since their launch, demonstrating that Vanderbilt’s intellectual capital is a driver of economic growth in the region and beyond.
We currently find ourselves in a perfect storm of opportunity. University and Medical Center leadership have cultivated an unprecedented environment to support innovation and entrepreneurship.
CTTC recognizes this opportunity and is doing its part to ensure the moment is not missed. We have streamlined our processes and launched new programs specifically designed to contribute to the expansion of innovation capacity across campus, to the lowering of barriers for innovator engagement, to the preparation of entrepreneurs for success, and to the growth of both internal and external partnerships.
Some examples of these programs are described in this publication, please visit our website or reach out to us to learn more about any of these efforts and how our faculty can take advantage of them.
CTTC is here to support Vanderbilt faculty and staff from every corner of campus—from engineering and medicine to the basic sciences and humanities, and from less obvious pockets of creativity scattered throughout the schools and administrative units. Engagement is the key. Our goal is for our Vanderbilt innovators to view us as their strategic partners in ensuring their innovative ideas achieve the long-term support and scale they deserve. We look forward to helping our community members turn their next breakthrough into the world’s next big solution.
Some of the stories of recent breakthroughs are recorded in this edition of Driving Innovation Forward. We hope that you find them as inspiring as we do.