Swomitra Mohanty, a University of Utah chemical engineering professor, is a huge advocate of increasing the real-world impact of his and his colleagues’ research, making him an excellent Innovation Ambassador.

The University of Utah Innovation Ambassadors serve as liaisons between the Technology Licensing Office and their departments with the goal of demystifying the technology transfer process. “Sometimes people feel intimidated by the process, but they just need to understand it, which is what I’m there for,” Mohanty said.

While Mohanty is excited to help establish a culture of innovation at the U as an Innovation Ambassador, he is just as passionate about pursuing his own research and licensing his technologies. Mohanty has gone through the technology transfer process a few times himself. His research is guided by his goal of solving problems that affect communities of lower socioeconomic status. With this in mind, he has developed low-cost diagnostics for tuberculosis that he is running studies on in Uganda, point-of-use toxin sensors and water purifiers, and renewable energy solutions that impact rural Utah communities.

“At the end of the day, if I create something that ultimately ends up making a difference in jobs and the economy, then I've done my job,” Mohanty said. “That's why technology transfer and commercialization are super important. It's not about making royalties or getting a patent or a bunch of money from a company.”

At the end of the day, if I create something that ultimately ends up making a difference in jobs and the economy, then I've done my job. That's why technology transfer and commercialization are super important. It's not about making royalties or getting a patent or a bunch of money from a company.

Mohanty makes sure he’s not just keeping this goal in mind when he’s selecting new projects; he ensures that he is engaging the groups impacted by his work early in the research process. “It's very easy in academia to just work on something and then beg someone to use the technology. So, very early on we are talking to physicians, patients, people affected by bad water and more,” he said.

Creating these relationships and understanding the stakeholders’ needs is one of the core lessons Mohanty learned from the National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) that he has participated in multiple times and is preparing to participate in the national program for the third time.

“I would encourage every young faculty member go through I-Corps. You will understand the business perspective right away and learn to talk their language. It’s absolutely worth it,” Mohanty said. “I've done it now three or four times, and it is probably by far one of the most useful things I’ve done.”

Learn more about I-Corps at the U

Mohanty hopes that in addition to encouraging people to think more about their research’s potential impact, he can show his colleagues that disclosing a technology and starting the technology transfer process doesn’t have to be intimidating.

Part of being successful at commercializing or transferring a technology is persistence and finding the right partners. Oftentimes, it takes multiple iterations of a technology and numerous discussions with different companies before finding the right fit for the researchers, the university and a company.

“Don't get discouraged when companies walk away from your idea; it has nothing to do with you and more to do with their strategy,” Mohanty said. “Don't ever feel like whatever you've done does not have value. It does, but you have to find the right match. Whatever you thought of came from your brain, and that is a big deal and you should be proud of that.”