January 8, 2024

A recent article from EXEL Magazine highlights Drexel researchers in the College of Engineering, who have utilized resources available through Applied Innovation to help protect and expand the impact of their research. Please see below for two excerpts from the article that highlight this.

“In her decade-long journey to create and commercialize a new generation of rechargeable batteries, Kalra has performed hundreds of experiments, interviewed dozens of industry experts, received close to $7 million in grants and funding, logged countless hours working with tech commercialization experts in Drexel’s Office of Research & Innovation, and secured three patents, with 11 more pending.

Though the work isn’t over, the path of Kalra’s research discovery from lab bench to a top commercial prospect exemplifies the power of academic entrepreneurship in supercharging faculty careers and expanding the University’s research enterprise. 

“It gives a good picture of what it’s like to take a really early-stage, interesting technology to the point where it’s ready to make its way into a company,” says Robert McGrath, senior associate vice provost for intellectual property and agreements in Drexel Applied Innovation, the technology transfer division of the Office of Research & Innovation. “Getting to market [is hopefully] not far behind.”

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“Kalra received a National Science Foundation Partnership for Innovation grant, which helps academics move their technologies toward commercialization. A key aspect of the program is participation in National Science Foundation I-Corps, a customer discovery entrepreneurial training program. NSF I-Corps is designed to help faculty determine who outside academia would care — and how much — about their innovation, says Shintaro Kaido, vice provost for innovation and executive director of Drexel Applied Innovation. (Drexel became a member of the $15 million NSF I-Corps Hub Northeast Region in 2022.)

“[Kalra’s] innovation with lithium-sulfur has interesting properties that current lithium-ion batteries don’t,” Kaido says. “How is the technology’s unique value proposition poised to solve problems that current lithium battery technologies can’t address?”

Check out the full article EXEL Magazine article HERE, where you may also find additional stories that will be of interest to you!