2023 Better World Project Award Winner

AUTM's Better World Project highlights the global impact of research commercialization and the vital role that technology transfer plays in that process. The annual Better World Project Award honors the exemplary work of one technology transfer office from the stories submitted the previous year. More than 40 stories were submitted to the Better World Project last year. The Better World Project Committee narrowed them down to three very worthy finalists.

With a record-breaking amount of votes - more than 1,100 - the 2023 Better World Project Award winner is:

Device Provides Non-invasive, Mobile Therapy to Treat Neuro Disorders

The EKKO Wave Therapeutic Device was developed by the researchers from National University of Science and Technology (NUST) in Pakistan to treat neurological disorders including cerebral palsy, autism and more. EKKO provides low cost and safe treatment of neuro disorders through vibrational waves that affect neural activity in the brain and body. The NUST Technology Transfer Office liaised with various departments and stakeholders from the kick-off to the successful pilot testing for the project and was licensed to M/S RiseTech for commercialization.  

Meet the finalists:

iStent Ocular Tube Relieves Glaucoma Pressure
More than three million Americans suffer from glaucoma, resulting in ocular pain and vision loss. Dr. Richard Hill, a physician of ophthalmology at University of California, Irvine (UCI), developed a microinvasive glaucoma surgical device, iStent, to relieve ocular pressure by allowing fluid to move into the eye’s normal drainage system. UCI filed patents on Dr. Hill’s behalf and supported his startup, Glaukos Corporation, through licensing and commercialization. The device and the family of Glaukos technologies have now been implanted in more than one million procedures worldwide. 

COVID Vax Developed to Reach Those Where Cost, Scalability and Storage Matter Most
Scientists at the Baylor College of Medicine (BCM) and Texas Children’s Hospital developed a novel protein sub-unit vaccine for COVID-19 that overcomes the challenges of cost, scalability, and storage requirements. In the interest of global access and rapid commercialization, BCM Ventures chose not to file patent protection on the vaccine technology. As a result of the licensing and commercialization strategy, the licensee received Emergency Use Authorization in India and has distributed approximately 100 million vaccine doses with hundreds of millions of additional doses reserved. As a result of their scientific efforts, Drs. Peter Hotez and Maria Elena Bottazzi were nominated for the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize. 

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