UC launches National Academy of Inventors chapter

University professors and researchers can be creative types who make breakthroughs, but more often than not they labor in anonymity. A new initiative at the University of Cincinnati aims to give researchers and faculty more recognition for groundbreaking work.

UC's research department has just launched its chapter of the National Academy of Inventors. The University of South Florida started the academy to recognize inventors who have a patent from the U.S. Patent and Trademark office and to increase their visibility.

"I know the vice president of research at South Florida, and we were at a meeting talking about the academy. I thought this was perfect for UC. One of the things we often hear from faculty is there are no rewards for being entrepreneurial or getting patents," said Dr. Sandra J. Degen, UC vice president for research.

"We wanted to reward those who already have patents and our affiliates, which includes Children's Hospital. We had a reception with a national speaker where we recognized all our patent holders," Degen said.

UC inducted 123 patent-holding faculty into the academy during the formal ceremony. You can find detailed information about them here.  The academy is in its early stages and its full scope and benefits are still being worked out, Degen said.

"We are still organizing it. There might be more financial rewards along the way in the area of venture capital. There might be outside people who will want to work with this group. The future is undefined, but there is a lot of potential," she said.

Launching the academy is just one early step in removing a barrier in encouraging a spirit of entrepreneurialism at UC, Degen added.

"When (former UC president) Nancy Zimpher was here, part of her strategic planning process involved removing barriers to doing research. Some of the barriers involved lack of recognition for being entrepreneurial. It's taken a while, but this is one way to start to recognize our entrepreneurs," she said.

Writer: Feoshia Henderson
Source: Dr. Sandra J. Degen, UC vice president for research

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