Office for Research Hosts 2024 Rutgers Innovation Awards Banquet

Rutgers Office for Research celebrated the recipients of the first-ever Rutgers Innovation Awards with a banquet, hosted at The President’s Tent in New Brunswick, N.J.

Following a performance by Rutgers acapella group Deep Treble, Rutgers president Jonathan Holloway, PhD opened the event with a video tribute, followed by speakers that included Prabhas V. Moghe, PhD, executive vice president for academic affairs and chief academic officer, and Michael E. Zwick, PhD, senior vice president for Research.

The Rutgers Innovation Awards recognized researchers who have demonstrated excellence by developing a breakthrough idea, process, or technology that has the potential to improve lives and create economic value. Winners were either nominated by their peers or self-nominated and then reviewed by external experts. The event also celebrated current Rutgers inventors who were issued U.S. patents during the fiscal years 2023 and 2024.

“Today is a day for highlighting the best of the university and honoring those who work so hard to achieve these innovations – research faculty, staff, postdocs and students alike,” said Holloway. “Across Rutgers, we see breakthrough research, award-winning scholarships, and deeply inspiring creative endeavors. I am proud of the nearly 150 applications we received and the fantastic work that stood behind each of them. I salute those who won awards, those who were recognized for patents issued over the past two years, and those who completed technology transfer training. Together, you give us countless reasons to take pride in Rutgers research and innovation.”

"Empowered through scholarship and novel endeavors, the Rutgers Innovation Award honorees are model innovators whose work seeks to transform lives and address some of the most pressing challenges facing society today,” said Moghe. “Their commitment to advancing knowledge and pushing the boundaries of science and technology reflects the highest ideals of academic excellence and serves as an inspiration to all of us. I congratulate each honoree on this most-deserved recognition.”

“The winners of the inaugural Rutgers Innovation Awards have made remarkable inventions and discoveries, and they represent why we are all here: to translate our research into solutions for societal challenges, and to change the world,” said Zwick. “The incredible researchers being recognized tonight are why Rutgers continues to become an ever greater 21^st century research and innovation powerhouse. Their inventions improve our increasingly interconnected and complex world, and I congratulate them on being honored for their contributions.”

Teams of experts in each award field scored winners based on metrics such as novelty, competitive advantage, impact, utility and socio-economic value of the innovation, and significance of the problem solved. To learn more about the winners and their innovations, click here.

The inaugural Rutgers Innovation Awards banquet was an invite-only event that took place on Tuesday, September 24, in New Brunswick, N.J. Each winning team received a plaque, and every team member received a certificate. Moreover, U.S. patent recipients from FY23 and FY24 were recognized and received certificates.

“We are honored to welcome and celebrate all of these amazing researchers and their incredible work, and we are excited to see how their innovations will impact people’s lives,” said Deborah Perez Fernandez, PhD, executive director of Technology Transfer, and Vincent Smeraglia, JD, executive director of New Ventures. “Our teams work with and support Rutgers researchers throughout the commercialization process, from protecting the intellectual property, to discovering funding and research collaboration opportunities, to potentially launching a startup, and we look forward to continued collaboration with these 10 winning research teams and all the patent recipients.”

Click here for images from the event.

2024 Rutgers Innovation Awards Winners