Researchers & UT Community
PROOF OF CONCEPT AWARDS
Technology Development
The Texas Proof of Concept Awards provide competitive funding for faculty membersor permanent researchers with principal investigator (PI) status to demonstrate the feasibility of their innovations to accelerate the process towards commercialization. We invite you to learn more about the past awardees and consider applying.
Award recipients
Alex Demkov
Manufacturing Electro-optic Wafers for Silicon Photonics
Synopsis:
The rapid growth of global internet traffic is driving rapid growth in demand for computing power and data transmission but current silicon photonic technology cannot fully meet the demand. UT physicists have invented a new process that can easily integrate electro-optic material on silicon which can potentially provide a universal platform for next-generation silicon photonics with a 100X increase in modulation efficiency.
UT Austin Startup:
La Luce Cristallina, Inc.
Details
Website
Emily Porter
High-resolution Microwave Stroke Detection and Imaging
Synopsis:
The current standard for assessment of nearly one million strokes in the United States per year occurs when the patient gets to the hospital, using expensive and time-consuming CT and MRI technologies. UT engineers have developed a low-cost, three-dimensional microwave imaging technology that is supported by machine learning for mobile, rapid, stoke triage and assessment. This can save critical time and lives.
UT Austin Startup:
Details
Website
Jessica Ciarla
Sustainable Trimmings for the Fashion Industry
Synopsis:
Roughly 20% of the nearly 400 million tons of plastic produced globally using fossil fuels is for textile fibers and only about 15% of it is recycled. UT inventors are developing non-plastic sustainable trimmings and embellishments, such as sequins, for the fashion industry using compostable polylactic acid.
UT Austin Startup:
Particles of Color
Details
Website
Aaron Baker
Drug Eluting Chest Tube for Pain Reduction Following Surgery
Synopsis:
Traditional chest tubes are simple medical devices that are essential for draining the area around the lungs following surgery or injury. While these devices provide an important, lifesaving function they also cause constant, intense pain that requires treatment with opioid pain medication. UT innovators have developed a new chest tube that elutes local non-opioid anesthetic agents for pain reduction following cardiothoracic surgeries and trauma.
UT Austin Startup:
Medical Elution Devices
Details
Website
Jonathan Chen
Fabric Strain Sensor Device for Pharyngeal Rehabilitation
Synopsis:
Swallowing dysfunction affects roughly 500,000 children and nine million adults in the US, potentially resulting in life-threatening choking and pneumonia. Clinical swallowing evaluations and technology only capture a snapshot of behavior, resulting in low validity of current testing, especially for children. UT scientists are seeking to provide a noninvasive and unobtrusive testing procedure for patients using novel sensing fabric that is able to be worn and washed for daily living.
UT Austin Startup:
Details
Website
