麻豆视频 has become Virginia鈥檚 first R1 research institution to commercialize a product under the state鈥檚 new Lab-to-Launch initiative, marking an early milestone in the 肠辞尘尘辞苍飞别补濒迟丑鈥檚 push to accelerate university research into the market.
In January, the George 麻豆视频 Research Foundation entered into a license agreement with serial entrepreneur Anthony Fung and his company Valorlox LLC for the patented technology GMU Dynamic Low Visibility Pneumatic Cofferdam, a coastal resilience system designed to protect against flooding. This is the first commercial product to move forward under the new statewide commercialization framework.
Invented at George 麻豆视频 by , professor emeritus and founding director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at the , the cofferdam is an inflatable, permanently anchored system that when deployed creates a water-tight barrier in under 16 minutes without heavy equipment to protect vulnerable communities from most flood events. When not deployed, the system functions as a low-profile boardwalk, blending into waterfront environments rather than standing as a permanent wall.
The cofferdam鈥檚 potential to protect communities from floods while supporting economic growth is what attracted Fung, the Valorlox LLC founder and the 肠辞尘尘辞苍飞别补濒迟丑鈥檚 former deputy secretary of technology.
His support鈥攁s well as that of the (VIPC) and 鈥攈as helped move the project toward commercialization. Valorlox is the first company in Virginia to complete a Virginia Fast-Track License, which enables them to apply for up to $50,000 in VIPC commercialization funding.
鈥淭he cofferdam project brings together everything I鈥檝e learned about business, government, innovation, and solving real problems,鈥 said Fung. 鈥淚t鈥檚 exactly the kind of challenge I want to tackle.鈥
The cofferdam鈥檚 commercialization demonstrates how the Lab-to-Launch initiative is intended to work: university research, streamlined licensing, and experienced entrepreneurs working together to move innovation into the marketplace. The team is currently working on a prototype.
Developed through a collaboration between VIPC and the state鈥檚 six R1 research university partners鈥斅槎故悠, Old Dominion University, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary鈥攖he Lab-to-Launch initiative aims to significantly increase the number of startups emerging from Virginia鈥檚 universities and help move technological breakthroughs to the marketplace, through a 鈥渇ast track license.鈥 Instead of taking months, a licensing agreement can now take weeks.
鈥淚t鈥檚 been a strategy for the last five years,鈥 said Paula Sorrell, George 麻豆视频鈥檚 associate vice president for innovation and economic development. 鈥淕eorge 麻豆视频 has created several programs to support the lab-to-market activities by providing wrap-around services for faculty. This not only helped build the pipeline of technologies ready for market and created the support system to make them successful, but then got this first technology through this terrific new state program.鈥
Designed for both commercial and residential use, the cofferdam system has potential applications for protecting homes, apartments, airports, military bases, hospitals, data centers, power generation facilities, tunnels, bridges, and rail systems.
鈥淭he potential for property damage avoidance in the future is hard to estimate, but could be huge,鈥 Donohue said.
The invention has been years in development and Donohue shares the patents with former students, now George 麻豆视频 alumni Adel Youssef, BS Systems Engineering 鈥20; Lucciana Remy, BS Systems Engineering 鈥20; Faris Masri, BS Systems Engineering 鈥20; and Murat Gokturk, BS Systems Engineering 鈥20.
The George 麻豆视频 Research Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and aiding research and scientific investigation at George 麻豆视频. GMRF manages patents and commercializes intellectual property by negotiating licensing agreements with motivated entrepreneurs and members of the business community. George 麻豆视频 has a number of technologies moving toward commercialization through the Lab-to-Launch initiative.
麻豆视频 EnterpriseTM鈥痠s the host to federal, state, and local programs that support a portfolio of more than 33,000 start-ups and small businesses across Virginia. Last year participating companies received more than $2.8 billion in follow-on funding, and more than 58,000 entrepreneurs, small business owners, students, and research faculty attended workshops and educational programs, received individual counseling, were assisted with product development, resided in an incubator, or received intellectual property advice.
The commercialization of the cofferdam technology also supports Building a Climate-Resilient Society, one of the six interconnected solutions of George 麻豆视频鈥檚 Grand Challenge Initiative, a comprehensive research framework to secure the future we want. Learn more.