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February 10, 2022 | Tom Ballard

One week remaining to apply for UTC’s inaugural “FLY for Researchers Pitch Competition”

There’s exactly a week left for faculty, staff and graduate students at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) to apply for the inaugural “FLY for Researchers Pitch Competition.” Applications are due February 18. Finalists will be chosen in mid-March, and those selected will present the afternoon of April 12 during UTC’s week-long “ReSEARCH Dialogues” program.

Sponsors include the UTC’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, UTC’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, UT System and the Office of the UT Vice President for Research.

“You don’t have to be camera-ready for ‘Shark Tank’ or want to start your own company to enter,” said UTC Commercialization Counselor Jennifer Herrett-Skjellum in a recent blogpost article. “We’re building the foundation for a culture of innovation at UTC that can lead to licensing and commercializing research.”

We spotlighted her part-time work at UTC nearly a year ago in this teknovation.biz article. Herrett-Skjellum is no stranger to the entrepreneurial and tech commercialization space, having previously served as President of TechBirmingham, an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Birmingham-Southern College, a co-founder and senior executive in several tech start-ups, and Program Director for Chattanooga’s CO.LAB. An important part of her UTC role is serving as a liaison between the campus and the UT Research Foundation.

Those who place first-, second-, and third-place in the April contest will receive  $20,000, $10,000 and $5,000 respectively for expenses related to getting their ideas out of the lab or the field and into the marketplace. The cash awards can be used for such things as fees for registering trademarks, patent applications, supplies and travel.


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