With the Innovation Law Center’s Help, An Engineer Innovates an Old Technology for Life-Saving Purpose

Fred Valerino, an engineer specializing in pneumatic tubes, has developed a new company that aims to innovate hospitals’ pharma delivery and needle disposal systems. The company, which Valerino refers to as the “Sharps Pharmacy Delivery System” aims to solve safety and delivery issues in hospitals, while also diminishing administration costs. Valerino has worked closely with the New York State Science and Technology Law Center (NYSSTLC) at his current stage of business development. Students at the NYSSTLC are working with Valerino on a patent landscape and industry analysis, allowing the company to diminish competition and acquire new patents. To learn more about Valerino, the company and his work with the NYSSTLC, click here.

USPTO to Propose Rule Requiring Foreign Trademark Applicants to Use U.S. Licensed Attorneys to File Documents

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is developing a rule requiring foreign trademark applicants and registrants to be represented by a US licensed attorney when filing trademark documents with the USPTO. The attorney must be in good standing of the bar of highest court of a US state. The rule aims to provide greater confidence to foreign applicants and improve the accuracy of the US Trademark Register. Currently, the rule is in a public comment period that will end in February 2019. Final action on the rule will occur in June 2019, and will become effective in July 2019. To learn more about the new rule, click here.

USPTO Appoints New Deputy Director

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has appointed Laura Peter as its latest deputy director. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross stated: “Laura Peter brings a breadth of experience and a deep understanding of intellectual property issues to her new role as deputy director of the USPTO.” The AIPLA reported that Ms. Peter has practiced IP law for over 20 years, and was previously vice president and general counsel of Immersion Corporation, where she led all aspects of the company’s legal issues, including its IP portfolio. She was also assistant general counsel and director of intellectual property at Foundry Networks, where she built their patent portfolio and led successful patent actions against large competitors To learn more about Peter’s background and her role with the USPTO, click here.

10 Startups Selected to Take Part in Rochester’s Luminate NY

10 startups have been selected to join New York State’s Luminate NY accelerator program at NEXT Corps. Chosen from more than 70 applicants worldwide, the 10 selected include startups in optics, photonics and imaging. The selected startups come from a variety of places around the world, including Rochester’s own VPG Medical, Inc. and Ovitz. Each startup will receive an investment of $100,000 and take part in a 6-month program to accelerate the companies’ commercialization. Following the program, each startup will compete for an additional $2 million of funding. To learn more about the Luminate NY accelerator program and the selected startups, click here.

RIT Researcher Awarded NSF Funding

Panos Markopoulos, an assistant professor in RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, has been granted nearly $500,000 from the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure. The award will fund Markopoulos’ development of more reliable data analytics, which includes improving current algorithms, developing software solutions and creating prototypes utilizing the new algorithms. Markopoulos will collaborate with Andreas Savakis, a RIT professor of computer engineering and research in computer vision, and Vagelis Papalexakis, a professor of computer science from the University of California at Riverside specializing in data mining. To learn more about the grant and Markopoulos’ work, click here.

University of Rochester Technology Performs First Noninvasive Laser Vision Correction Procedures

Technology developed at the University of Rochester’s Center for Emerging is commercializing LRIC, a noninvasive method of human vision correction. The technology, which has been in development for more than 15 years, has now entered clinical trials and treated five human subjects. The procedure is based on ultrafast laser technology which was developed at the CEIS by Gerard Mourou, Ph.D., and Donna Strickland, Ph.D. To learn more about the technology and procedures, click here.

Research Will Employ Data Science to Determine Suicide Risk in Elderly

The University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC) will launch a new research program to identify nursing home and assisted living residents with risk factors for suicide. The program is run by Yue Li, Ph.D., from URMC’s Department of Public Health Sciences and Xueya Cai, Ph.D., from URMC’s Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology. The program will utilize machine learning and data science to examine millions of records from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. In addition to identifying personal suicide risk factors, the program will identify characteristics of nursing homes that contribute to elevated suicide risk. The program aims to combat suicides among elders receiving long-term care, as it is currently among the 10 leading causes of death in the US. To learn more about the program, click here.

Data Science Consortium Gives Member Companies a Data Edge

The Rochester Data Science Consortium is making strides in creating high-value jobs and increasing high-tech hub development in Rochester. The Consortium, which was founded by the University of Rochester, work directly with local companies to address data science challenges and improve innovation and technology. The number of member companies within the Consortium is consistently increasing and includes Wegmans, VisualDx and Excell Partners, among a variety of other science and technology businesses. The Consortium works directly with the University of Rochester to build connections in the data science department and received $7.5 million in state funding in 2017. Its goal is to attract more individuals to the region for high-tech jobs. To learn more about the Rochester Data Science Consortium and its member companies, click here.

Center of Excellence Funds Local Businesses Improving Health Care

The Center of Excellence (CoE) in Data Science has awarded four grants to University of Rochester researchers. The CoE, which is housed at University of Rochester’s Goergen Institute of Data Science and funded by the New York State Division of Science Technology and Innovation (NYSTAR), hopes to translate the cutting-edge science of the grant recipients into improved health care, a stronger economy and more jobs. The research projects awarded grants include projects aiming to improve contact lenses, virus-based medical products, biopsy procedures and vision restoration in stroke patients. The grants aim to drive regional economic growth by supporting basic research, training and technology development. To learn more about the grants and their recipients, click here.

Rochester Women Investors Forum

December 4 – The Penthouse at One East Ave, Rochester, NY

The Entrepreneurs Network (TEN) and Chloe Capital will host an investing workshop from 11:30 am to 4:00 pm led by women experts in angel investing and venture capital. A pitch event featuring five women-led innovation companies will occur from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm. To learn more about the Rochester Women Investors Forum, click here. To register, click here.

CNYBAC’s 2nd Annual MDIC Pitch Program

December 11 – CNY Biotech Accelerator, Syracuse, NY

CNY Biotech Accelerator (CNYBAC) will host its 2nd annual Medical Device Innovation Challenge (MDIC) Pitch Event from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm and feature MDIC early stage innovations. To learn more about the event, click here.

Prototypes, Patents and IP Protection for Hardware Startups

December 12 – NextCorp, Rochester, NY

NextCorp will host a workshop and “office hours” with various resources from 12:00 pm to 3:00 pm. Speakers on law, technology and innovation topics include the New York State Science  Director, Jack Rudnick. To learn more about the session, click here. To register, click here.

Li-Ion Cells Manufacturing Seminar

June 20-21, 2019 – RIT Battery Prototyping Center, Rochester, NY

The RIT Battery Prototyping Center and Shmuel De-Leon Energy will host an educational battery seminar on June 20-21, 2019. The event will feature scientific lectures on battery materials and technology, and hands-on training in manufacturing technology. Academic and industry experts will be present at the seminar and participate in the practical training. To learn more about the Li-Ion Cells Manufacturing Seminar, click here.

Global NY

Is your NYS business thinking about exporting? If you’re already sending some of what you make overseas, would you like to expand that part of your operation? Many small-to-medium companies want to reach global markets, but they need to manage their risks. As the result of the National Export Initiative (NEXT) and Global NY initiative, the federal and state governments are willing to share this risk with you. Global NY can connect your company to the State Trade and Export Promotion (STEP) program. The STEP Program is offered by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) through Empire State Development (ESD). To learn more about STEP and how it can help your business, click here. NYS STLC has also compiled an Export Control Guidebook to assist individuals considering the export of their technology.