When we think about inventions, discoveries, and the products derived from them, many tend to focus on outcomes from cutting-edge research in engineering and medicine. But innovation can happen anywhere, by anyone, at any time – as we are often reminded by the variety of inventions disclosed to CTTC each month.
In the 2014 fiscal year, CTTC fielded 185 disclosures from Vanderbilt faculty, staff and students. These new ideas came in the form of curricula, software programs, robotics, medical devices, chemical compounds, innovative uses of existing products - the list goes on. While the majority of disclosures were submitted by investigators within the major research-intensive departments within the schools of Arts & Science, Engineering, Medicine and Peabody, a number of disclosures originated from places one may not expect - the Office of Investments, Public Affairs, and the Department of Finance to name a few.