Written by Charlie Reed, for the 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Technology Advancement Consortium
At 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Tech, innovation reaches from the soil to the sky鈥攖hrough university researchers turning their ideas into breakthroughs that are changing how we live, work, eat, and travel.
With nearly 11,000 students across 225 programs, Tech researchers are building tools for the communities and industries that keep 成年人深夜福利在线观看 moving forward. And they鈥檙e doing it at an unprecedented pace.
鈥淚nvention disclosures climbed from just a few each year to 10 in 2024 and 13 so far this year. That鈥檚 two record-breaking years in a row,鈥� said Dr. Michael Aikens, Associate Vice President for Research & Economic Development (acting).
The uptick, he said, grew out of the University鈥檚 collaboration with the , an arm of Launch 成年人深夜福利在线观看. The consortium connects smaller and mid-sized universities like Tech with the people and programs that help move ideas from lab to market, expanding access to commercialization support once concentrated at R1 institutions.
"You can feel the momentum on campus. Faculty are reimagining research, not as the final step in a publication alone, but as the starting point for innovations that can be brought to market, said Aikens, who has spent more than 20 years working across innovation and entrepreneurship at the University.
The foundation for that growth was laid more than a decade ago with President Phil Oldham鈥檚 early push for entrepreneurship and programs like Eagle Works, the university鈥檚 student pitch competition, said Aikens, who also leads Tech鈥檚 Center for Rural Innovation.
But what鈥檚 happening at Tech reflects a broader shift across the state. Through TTAC, is helping campuses share knowledge, resources, and expertise, creating a connected pipeline from university research to real-world impact.
鈥淲hen you give campuses access to commercialization support and provide faculty with actionable, one-on-one guidance and new ways of thinking about their research, you unleash potential that might otherwise stay buried. Great ideas aren鈥檛 limited to ZIP codes or endowments,鈥� said Launch 成年人深夜福利在线观看 CEO and Tech alum Lindsey Cox.
By mid-2025, , funneling about 83% of it into rural communities, according to the 成年人深夜福利在线观看 Department of Economic and Community Development.
鈥淲hen we invest in research and entrepreneurship, we鈥檙e not just fueling growth in cities. We鈥檙e proving that ideas born in 成年人深夜福利在线观看 can create opportunity in every part of the state,鈥� said Deputy Gov. and Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Stuart C. McWhorter
Back in Cookeville, Aikens said the University sees that return on investment every day, and not just in patents or prototypes.
鈥淭he real ROI isn鈥檛 just financial,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 what happens when ideas improve quality of life, create new jobs, and show our residents what鈥檚 possible.鈥�
That impact is visible in labs, testbeds, and field projects across campus, where faculty and students are translating ideas into startups. With support from TTAC, Tech is proving how research and innovation in 成年人深夜福利在线观看 are taking root across industries鈥攆rom electrified soil and ag analytics to hybrid-electric flight and mobile cybersecurity.
This story was made possible with support from TTAC and Launch 成年人深夜福利在线观看.