The Research Innovation Group (RIG) manages the intellectual property portfolio and industry contracting activities for Saint Louis University.
RIG’s mission is to increase the adoption and dissemination of SLU research discoveries and intellectual properties and to leverage SLU research and innovation assets to benefit the community. Our goal is to become exceptional at technology transfer and industry engagement as well as a partner of choice for research and intellectual property commercialization.
RIG’s main office is located in the heart of the Cortex Innovation Community to better connect with industry and integrate SLU within the region’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. The Cortex Innovation Community was founded in 2002 through a collaboration among SLU, Washington University in Saint Louis, University of Missouri – St. Louis, BJC Healthcare, and the Missouri Botanical Garden. It is the Midwest’s premier innovation hub for research, development, and commercialization in biosciences and technology. Cortex anchors the St. Louis region’s growing innovation ecosystem for startups and established companies.
The Research Innovation Group at Saint Louis University strives to be fast, efficient, and helpful when serving community members. Let us know how we can best support you as you go pursue Truth. Please don't hesitate to contact us if you need further assistance.
- Understand my obligations to disclose inventions and innovations
- Determine what type of agreement I need
- Download intellectual property disclosure form
- Download material transfer agreement (MTA) intake form
- Download license agreement distribution form
- Learn about the technology transfer process
- Learn about the various options for increasing the dissemination and adoption of my research discoveries.
The Research Innovation Group at Saint Louis University offers support and encouragement to student entrepreneurship, innovation, and research excellence in a variety of ways. All current students are very welcome to contact us if you have any questions.
- Learn about graduate student obligations to disclose intellectual property
- Find out if I have an obligation to disclose intellectual property as an undergraduate student
- Inquire about student worker positions with the Research Innovation Group
- Learn about the Chaifetz Center for Entrepreneurship
- Learn about entrepreneurship degree programs in the Chaifetz School of Business
MedLaunch
MEDLaunch is a non-profit biomedical and entrepreneurship incubator partnering with Saint Louis University and other organizations in the Saint Louis area. The goal of MedLaunch is to improve the standard of healthcare through the engineering and design of creative solutions while also fostering a community of entrepreneurship and collaboration at Saint Louis University.
The Research Innovation Group at Saint Louis University is committed to leveraging our research and innovation assets for the benefit of our community. We strive to generate real impact in tackling social and scientific challenges facing our society through partnerships and programs.
The September 2017 Reinventing Research Commercialization Conference
The Research Innovation Group is committed to developing and implementing new approaches to technology transfer. It knows these will be needed to bring transformative discoveries resulting from university research more quickly and effectively to market. To this end, in September 2017, the Research Innovation Group brought together national leaders in technology transfer, regional innovators, entrepreneurs, business managers and advisors at the "Reinventing Research Commercialization Conference" to participate in this reinvention process.
The presentations from this conference are available below.
- "The Academic Venture Exchange," Alan Thomas
- "Commercialization Successes and Challenges," Jed Taylor
- "Saint Louis University: Five Year Research Growth Plan," Ken Olliff
- "Reinventing Research Commercialization," Georgia Tech
- "Advancing Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Technology Transfer," Sethuraman Panchanathan
- "Technology Entrepreneurship Center," Engineering at Illinois
- "Developing and Growing University Based Startups," Rosemarie Truman
Saint Louis University strives to be a partner of choice for university research and intellectual property commercialization. Please contact us if you would like to discuss specific technologies or other opportunities to collaborate with us.
- License a SLU intellectual property
- Sponsor research at Saint Louis University
- Collaborate with SLU on a clinical trial
- Learn about fee-based services offered to industry by SLU faculty
- Sponsor a student thesis project focused on a specific issue or opportunity
- Explore the capabilities of the Bioinformatics Laboratory
- Explore the capabilities of the Genomics Core Facility
- Explore the capabilities of the Protein Core Facility
Technology Transfer Fellows Program
The Technology Transfer Fellows Program aims to help individuals develop translational research and lean innovation skills through experiential learning; expose individuals, particularly those from underrepresented groups, to the field of technology transfer; and facilitate the dissemination and adoption of Saint Louis University research discoveries and technologies.
Participants in the program can receive up to $4,655 per project while working to advance the transfer of Saint Louis University technologies to the private sector to benefit the public interest. They do so by using the SLUStart I-Corps curriculum to validate commercialization concepts for SLU technologies under the guidance of SLUStart I-Corps instructors. After successfully completing these initial validation efforts, they can apply to the NSF I-Corps National Teams program to continue working on the project. If accepted, they can receive a stipend of up to $15,000 while working to further advance the technology towards commercialization.
Individuals interested in participating in the Technology Transfer Fellows Program may apply online at any time. The program is operated by the Research Innovation Group within the Office of the Vice President for Research at Saint Louis University. Please contact Dr. Malcolm Townes by phone at 314-977-1633 or by email at malcolm.townes@slu.edu if you have any questions.
Anyone who meets the following requirements can participate in the Technology Transfer Fellows Program:
- Individuals at least 18 years of age.
- Eligible to work in the United States (if not a student or employee of Saint Louis University).
Participation in the program is at the sole and absolute discretion of Saint Louis
University. In addition to faculty, staff, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students,
and undergraduate students at Saint Louis University, non-SLU affiliated individuals
may also participate in the program.
Participation in the Technology Transfer Fellows Program is not meant to replace a
person's current employment. Individuals are expected to participate in the program
in adjunct to their normal jobs.
Technology Transfer Fellows participate in the SLUStart I-Corps program to advance the transfer of specific Saint Louis University technologies to the private sector to benefit the public interest. This includes completing at least 15 customer discovery interviews per project and documenting a venture thesis for a technology. The primary tasks are as follows:
- Task 1: Participate in an initial SLUStart I-Corps cohort working session.
- Task 2: Participate in a second SLUStart I-Corps cohort working session.
- Task 3: Complete and document up to 15 customer discovery interviews and document the venture thesis according to program standards.
For individuals who are outside of the St. Louis, Missouri area, we can make special arrangements if necessary to facilitate their participation in the SLUStart I-Corps cohort sessions (i.e., Task 1 and Task 2).
With approval from the program manager, Technology Transfer Fellows can work on any technology for which Saint Louis University has received an intellectual property disclosure that is not less than 60 days old, has accepted assignment of the technology, and is actively pursuing commercialization.
Fellows may work on multiple projects during their participation only if invited to do so. However, they may only work on one project at a time. Once a participant completes a project, the program manager will evaluate the participants work and deliverables. If the deliverables are satisfactory, the program manager may invite the fellow to perform additional work on the project or work on a different project.
Fellows may work on projects either individually or in teams of two with the approval of the program manager. Each person in a two-person team will be responsible for conducting at least seven (7) customer discovery interviews.
Technology Transfer Fellows receive funds disbursements at a fixed flat rate of $133 per properly documented customer discovery interview up to a maximum of 15 interviews per project. Fellows have a limited amount of time to complete a project (typically about two months).
After completing the SLUStart I-Corps program and conducting at least 15 customer discovery interviews for a project, the fellow can form a team (i.e., recruit a technical lead and industry mentor) and apply to the NSF I-Corps National Teams program to continue working on the project. The fellow will serve as entrepreneurial lead for the team. If accepted, the fellow can receive a stipend of $15,000 while participating in additional training and conducting additional customer discovery interviews.
The two working sessions (i.e., SLUStart I-Corps cohort sessions) typically last about
three to four hours each. The meeting days and times for the cohort working sessions
are scheduled according the availability of the cohort participants. In many cases,
cohort sessions are scheduled on weekends or weekday evenings for the convenience
of participants.
Additionally, fellows are expected to spend time outside of the working sessions applying
what they've learned to conduct customer discovery interviews for their assigned SLU
technologies. However, exactly how much time a participant spends outside of the working
sessions is at their discretion and will vary from project to project. The amount
of time it takes to conduct each customer discovery interview is typically about 30
minutes but this varies to some degree. This does not include the time required to
recruit and schedule an interview participant.
Search Intellectual Property Portfolio
Use the directory below to browse and search our intellectual property portfolio to identify technologies that may be of interest to you.
ID | Intellectual Property | Type |
---|---|---|
ID | Intellectual Property | Type |
98-002 | Facilitating Research to Develop Treatments for Hemochromatosis | Research Tool |
98-013 | NK3.3 Human Natural Killer Cell Line Derived from Healthy Male | Research Tool |
03-016 | Studying Oncolytic Adenovirus Vectors Using a Syrian Hamster Model | Research Tool |
03-017 | Studying Oncolytic Adenovirus Vectors Using a Cotton Rat Model | Research Tool |
04-011 | Studying Lymphangiogensis-related Immunoresponse to Tumor Cells | Research Tool |
07-006 | Screening for Anti-Adenovirus Agents in Immunosuppressed Individuals | Research Tool |
07-017 | Characterizing an Individual's Risk of Developing Cardiovascular Disease | Diagnostic |
07-023 | Minimizing Risks and Complications Associated with Retinal Detachment Surgery | Medical Device |
10-001 | Improving Weather-Influenced Decisions Using Environmental Predictive Analytics | Industrial Application |
10-010 | Developing an Antiviral Vaccine for Herpes Simplex Virus by Encoding Co-stimulation Molecules | Therapeutic |
10-014 | Improving Robotic Systems for Brain Surgery Using a Self-Opening Distractor | Medical Device |
10-015 | Improving Operating Room Procedures Using a Finger-based Data Input Device | Medical Device |
10-017 | Detecting DNA and RNA Using Biolayer Interferometry with Ultra-High Sensitivity | Diagnostic |
10-018 | Preventing and Treating Influenza Using Peptides to Induce Heterosubtypic Influenza T Cell Responses | Therapeutic |
10-024 | Inexpensively Diagnosing Sickel Cell Disease Under Conditions with Poor Technological Infrastructure | Diagnostic |
10-034 | Detecting and Quantifying Specific Proteins in Biological and Environmental Samples | Diagnostic |
11-003 | Developing Therapies for Various Diseases Such as Fibrosis, Dermal Scarring, Retinal Disease, Cancers, and Viral Infections | Therapeutic |
11-010 | Studying Chronic Liver Disease Using a PiZ Transgenic Mouse Model of a1At Mutant Z Liver Injury | Research Tool |
11-013 | Testing for Inherited Metabolic Diseases | Diagnostic |
11-015 | Novel Approach for Treating Cancer Using Adenovirus E1A Fragments | Drug Delivery |
11-018 | Plasmid Expressing Human Carbonic Anhydrase IV | Research Tool |
11-027 | Treating Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Using Indomethacin-based Drugs | Therapeutic |
11-033 | Preventing Breakage of Electrodes Placed in the Brain to Treat Movement Disorders and Compulsive Disorders | Medical Device |
11-034 | Treating Diseases With Pathologies Promoted by Angiogensis | Therapeutic |
12-001 | Curing Hepatitis B Infections Using a Therapy that Suppresses HBV Replication | Therapeutic |
12-012 | Treating Type I Diabetes Using a Therapy That Targets C-peptide | Research Tool |
12-013 | Preventing Bone Loss by Regulating FOXP3+CD8 T Cells | Therapeutic |
12-014 | Treating Malaria Using Aminohydantoin Compounds | Therapeutic |
12-019 | Measuring HbF in Blood Inexpensively | Diagnostic |
13-014 | Microfluidic Device Systems and Methods for Fabrication | Industrial Application |
13-018 | Inexpensively Predicting Weather Threats With High Spatial and Temporal Resolution | Industrial Application |
13-019 | Treating Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) | Therapeutic |
13-026 | Preventing and Treating Herpesvirus Infections from Strains Resistant to Anti-Herpesvirus Drugs | Therapeutic |
14-012 | Treating Chronic Neuropathic Pain | Therapeutic |
14-013 | Delivering Bioactive Components Using a Hydrolytically Degradable Polyethylene Glycol Microsphere | Drug Delivery |
14-016 | Treating Protein C Deficiency | Diagnostic |
14-017 | Diagnosing and Treating Endometriosis-related Infertility | Therapeutic |
14-018 | Novel Therapeutic Strategy for Treating Human Breast Cancer Regulating SALL1 Functions | Therapeutic |
15-004 | Developing Therapies for Various Diseases Such as Fibrosis, Dermal Scarring, Retinal Disease, Cancers, and Viral Infections | Therapeutic |
15-005 | Diagnosing Halogen Gas Exposure and Eosinophil-driven Diseases | Diagnostic |
15-008 | Preventing and Treating Chagas Disease | Research Tool |
15-012 | Producting Biomaterial Platforms for Researching Cell Substrate Relationships | Industrial Application |
15-014 | Treating Cancers, Neurodegenerative Diseases, and Other Rare Conditions Using MUB LBL and LBL-based Peptides | Drug Delivery |
15-016 | Preventing and Treating Herpes Infections | Therapeutic |
15-017 | Preventing and Treating Herpes and Hepatitis Viral Infections | Therapeutic |
15-032 | Promoting Nerve Repair Using Neural Tissue Engineering Method of Transferring Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes on a Hydrogel | Drug Delivery |
15-036 | Curing Cancer by Unmasking Tumors from the Immune System | Therapeutic |
16-001 | Minimizing the Duration and Toxicity of Treatments for Infections Caused by the Fungal Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans | Therapeutic |
16-004 | Treating Coagulation Disorders Without Bleeding Side Effects | Therapeutic |
16-006 | Integrating 3-Dimensional Cell Culture Scaffolds in Microfluidic Devices | Industrial Application |
16-011 | Preventing and Treating Infections Caused by Herpesviridae Using Mutant Herpes Simplex Virus | Therapeutic |
16-018 | Producing Nanomaterials Using Mask-free Production Methods | Industrial Application |
16-019 | Providing Immunity Against Divergent Strains of Influenza | Therapeutic |
16-021 | Minimizing the Cost and Time Requirements for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Therapy (HSCT) | Therapeutic |
16-023 | Minimizing Inflammation While Treating Fibrosis | Therapeutic |
17-002 | Novel Antibiotic Candidates Based on Inhibitors of Nucleotidyltransferase Superfamily Enzymes | Therapeutic |
17-003 | Deriving Photoinduced Ring Closure From Dinaphthothiphenes | Industrial Application |
17-004 | Treating Cancers and Infectious Diseases Using NK3.3-Derived Extracellular Vesicles | Therapeutic |
17-007 | Measuring GPER Agonism, Antagonism, and Inverse Agonism Using a Novel High-Throughput Screening Assay | Diagnostic |
17-008 | Maintaining GALNS Enzyme Activity for Extended Periods Using an Injectable Hydrogel Depot | Drug Delivery |
17-010 | Regenerating Tissue Using an Aligned Electrospun Matrix of Decellularized Muscle | Therapeutic |
17-013 | Treating Atherosclerosis by Induction of TcREG | Therapeutic |
17-015 | Treating Short Gut Syndrome and Preventing Necrotizing Enterocolitis Using Fatty Acid Conjugated Epidermal Growth Factor Variants | Therapeutic |
17-017 | Treating Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) Using P38 Inhibitors | Therapeutic |
17-024 | Measuring the Efficiency of Efflux Pumps in Bacterial Strains and Permeability Properties of Bacterial Cell Envelopes Using a Molecular Fluorescent Ruler | Diagnostic |
17-026 | Treating Muscle Dysfunction Using ERR Ligands | Therapeutic |
17-029 | Simplifying the Simultaneous Analysis of Multiple Samples Using Mass Spectrometry | Research Tool |
17-033 | Developing More Effective Treatments for Malaria Using Pyrrolidine Compounds | Therapeutic |
17-034 | Assessing Biofilm Infections Using a Novel Bacterial Biofilm Assay | Diagnostic |
17-036 | Treating Malaria Using Novel Clinical Drug Candidates that Exhibit Oral Efficacy with Once Daily Dosing | Therapeutic |
17-037 | Dibenzothiophene Sulfone Cell Dyes | Research Tool |
17-039 | Treating Cancer with Photodynamic Therapy Using Novel Molecules that Induce Apoptosis | Drug Delivery |
17-040 | Improving Cognitive Function in Aging-related Dementia Using Adropun Peptides | Therapeutic |
18-002 | Developing Treatments for Diseases Associated With the CLIC1 Gene | Research Tool |
18-003 | Using Photo-Deoxygenation Induced Apoptosis to Treat Cancer | Therapeutic |
18-010 | Identifying GPER Agonists with Superior Selectivity | Research Tool |
18-020 | Treating Zika Virus Using Selective Estrogen Modulators | Therapeutic |
18-023 | Treating Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy (FSHD) Using Pyrrolopyridinone Compounds that Inhibit BET Bromodomains | Therapeutic |
18-024 | Improving the Consistency of Image-guided Head and Neck Radiotherapy Delivery Using an Auto-adaptable Head Rest | Medical Device |
18-026 | Generating Atomic Oxygen Using Visible Light | Drug Delivery |
18-027 | Developing a Functional Cure for Hepatitis B | Therapeutic |
18-028 | Enabling High Precision, Low Cost Deuterium-Based Universal Metabolomic Isotope Labeling | Research Tool |
19-001 | Developing New Types of Molecules for Fluorescent Microsopy | Research Tool |
19-006 | Simplifying the Analysis of Chimerism Data | Research Tool |
19-007 | Detecting Exposure to Specific Pathogens and Agents | Diagnostic |
19-010 | Improving Tumor Immunotherapy by Reprogramming Lipid Metabolism | Therapeutic |
19-011 | Delivering Medicines in a Controlled Manner Over an Extended Period of Time Using Degradable Hydrogels | Drug Delivery |
19-012 | Generating Proteins for High-Throughput Drug Screening Using Customized Plasmids for Expressing Nuclear Receptor Proteins in E. Coli | Therapeutic |
19-014 | Using GCNF Ligands to Increase the Efficacy of Cancer Therapeutics | Therapeutic |
19-015 | Using a Novel Mechanism to Treat MRSA Infections and Tuberculosis | Therapeutic |
19-017 | Improving Telepathology | Medical Device |
19-019 | Treating and Preventing Neuropathic Pain Using Novel Non-Narcotic Analgesics | Therapeutic |
19-020 | Treating Neurological Diseases, Autoimmune Disorders, and Muscular Disorders Using Rev-erb Modulators | Therapeutic |
19-021 | Improving the X-Ray Imaging of the Vasculature of Biological Systems | Diagnostic |
19-027 | Treating Frontotemporal Dementia | Therapeutic |
19-028 | Improving DNA Sequencing | Diagnostics |
19-029 | Treating Traumatic Brain Injuries | Therapeutic |
19-033 | Preventing Rift Valley Fever in Humans | Therapeutic |
20-001 | Creating Exhibitions of Annotated Collections | Industrial Application |
20-003 | Treating Diarrhea in Transplant Patients, AIDS Patients, and Children | Therapeutic |
20-009 | Treating Drug Resistant BRCA-deficient Tumors | Therapeutic |
20-018 | Minimizing the Risks Associated with Supraphysiologic Iron that is Added to Infant Formulas to Offset Poor Iron Absorption | Therapeutic |
20-019 | Evaluating a Variety of Therapeutics for Liver Disease with Robust Internal Control | Research Tool |
20-022 | Diagnosing and Preventing Leukemias That Affect Both Adults and Children | Research Tool |
20-025 | Minimizing Compliance Problems with Type 1 Diabetes Treatment | Therapeutic |
20-026 | Treating Neuropathic Pain with Greater Selectivity | Therapeutic |
21-003 | Minimizing Errors When Treating Diabetes Mellitus with Severe Hyperglycemia or Ketoacidosis | Diagnostic |
21-004 | Facilitating Research to Develop Treatments for HFE-associated Hereditary Hemochromatosis | Research Tool |
21-008 | Treating Neuropathic Pain | Therapeutic |
21-011 | Treating Triple Negative Breast Cancer and Endocrine-Resistant Cancer | Therapeutic |
21-012 | Authenticating Users in a Secure and Non-Intrusive Manner | Industrial Application |
21-014 | Designing Components and Devices with Physical and Electrical Characteristics Not Attainable with Currently Available Materials | Industrial Application |
22-001 | Treating Neurodegenerative Disorders Linked to TDP-43 Pathology | Therapeutic |
22-008 | Maximizing the Yield of Plants and Crops | Industrial Application |
22-009 | Increasing the Yield of Plants and Crops | Industrial Application |
22-018 | Improving the Effectiveness of Drug Screening | Research Tools |
22-020 | Increasing the Efficacy of Cancer Immunotherapy | Thereapeutics |
22-026 | Improving the Efficacy of Immunotherapy | Therapeutics |
22-027 | Developing Treatments for Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma | Research Tools |
22-030 | Mitigating Liver and Gut Injury Associated with Short Gut Syndrome | Medical Devices |
23-001 | Studying Rare Liver Diseases | Research Tools |
23-002 | Preventing Mycobacterium Tuberculosis | Therapeutics |
23-003 | Reducing the Mortality of Invasive Fungal Infections | Therapeutics |