News - UF Innovate

UpLift Accelerates into Higher Ed with Acquisition of TAO Connect

UpLift, a technology-driven behavioral health company delivering in-network therapy and psychiatry, announced that it has acquired UF Innovate | Accelerate graduate company TAO Connect, a therapy-assisted mental health solution with digital tools and resources designed for higher education institutions. The company was founded on technology created by UF innovator and TAO Connect CSO Sheryl Benton.

Fang Announced As NAI Senior Member

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) proudly announced its 2024 class of Senior Members, honoring 124 distinguished academic inventors from NAI’s Member Institutions. Among them is UF innovator Ruogu Fang, Ph.D., recognized for being a rising leader in her field with success in patents, licensing, and commercialization, and for producing “technologies that have brought, or aspire to bring, real impact on the welfare of society.”

New Technique May Help Scientists Stave Off Coral Reef Collapse

In a first for helping coral polyps respond to warming and acidifying oceans, scientists from the University of Florida have recreated the first stage of the coral skeleton creation process in a common, squishy sea anemone. The technique transforms this soft-bodied creature into the perfect lab model for researching coral skeletons and developing ways to bolster coral polyps in a changing climate.

Gators Back Gators in New Artificial Intelligence Investment

OneSixOne Ventures, a UF Innovate | Accelerate graduate and local partner, has invested more than $2 million into 12 startups since February 2022. In February, the company announced a new $950,000 investment into Rain AI, a startup developing a computer chip designed for use by artificial intelligence.

Fighting the Growing Threat of Crime and Violence in the Retail Space

On February 29, retail industry leaders from 47 corporations across the nation convened at the University of Florida for the Inegrate Summit, hosted by the Loss Prevention Research Council, delving into strategies to combat the growing challenges from theft, fraud, and violence in retail spaces. This year's event focused on the threat of an active shooter incident.

UF Scientists Plan To Lengthen the Shelf Life of Artichokes

Scientists from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) are finding out how to extend the shelf life of artichokes.

UF-Led Study Could Lead to New Way To Detect Brain Changes Associated With Alzheimer’s Risk

New research suggests there may be a link between abnormal blood levels of amyloid — a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease — and subtle changes in the brain microstructures. The researchers found, through a new MRI method called diffusion MRI, or "free-water imaging", an association in those with abnormal amyloid levels in the blood and structural abnormalities in the brain.

Tech Tuesday – Gainesville Hackerspace

In this week’s Tech Tuesday for WCJB TV20, UF Innovate’s Bethany Gaffey speaks with Kamin Miller, President of the Gainesville Hackerspace, a community nonprofit providing a space for creators to build out their ideas.

Osteoarthritis Gene Therapy Research Honored With OREF Award

The founders of Genascence, a UF Innovate | Accelerate gene therapy startup, have been awarded with the 2024 Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation (OREF) Clinical Research Award for their research on local gene therapy for osteoarthritis (OA). Over the past 30 years, the team has spearheaded research from the lab to human critical trials. This award recognizes outstanding clinical research related to musculoskeletal disease or injury.

Artichokes, Known as a Healthy Food Crop, Also Make for Pretty Plants

Artichokes are more than just a tasty dish. Their flowers bloom bright and colorful, as artichokes are immature flower buds. Shinsuke Agehara, an associate professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences began growing and harvesting Florida's first artichokes in 2017 at the UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center (GCREC) as well as the UF/IFAS Hastings Agricultural Extension Center.

UF News