NC State Hosts National Academy of Inventors

North Carolina State University recently hosted the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) Annual Conference in Raleigh for the first time in the conference’s history.

NAI is a nonprofit member organization dedicated to the recognition of prolific academic inventors within the United States with patents issued from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) whose research discoveries have greatly impacted society. Founded in 2010, NAI has more than 4,000 individual mentor members and Fellows from over 250 institutions worldwide. 

The NAI Annual Conference is a national event that brings together renowned academic innovators, government officials, and academic and research institute leaders who drive initiatives at the forefront of research commercialization.

NC State Takes Center Stage

The Annual Conference was hosted in downtown Raleigh June 16th through 18th, and event panels and presentations were centered around the meeting theme of “Unlocking Innovation: Keys to Societal Solutions”, with a particular focus on the innovation ecosystem and the role it plays in the successful translation of academic research discoveries into impactful solutions to real-world problems. Over 400 attendees registered for the event

The event kicked off on NC State’s campus on the evening of June 16th with an opening reception at Hunt Library on NC State’s Centennial Campus. Attendees were given a tour of the award-winning library which was designed with innovation in mind.

NC State was also well-represented during the main conference proceedings with Chancellor Randy Woodson participating on the President’s Panel on pivotal topics across innovation with Munir Eldesouki, President of the King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, and Teik Lim, President of the New Jersey Institute of Technology.

The NC State Office of Research Commercialization’s Assistant Vice Chancellor for Commercialization Wade Fulghum was a featured speaker, highlighting the history of research commercialization at NC State and outlining a vision in which the university increases its support and acceleration of exciting research innovations.

NC State Faculty Recognized

The event also features a closing reception to induct newly elected NAI Fellows into the Academy, recognizing innovators from across the country whose work has had a profound impact on society. Election to NAI Fellow is the highest professional distinction granted solely to academic inventors and to date, NAI Fellows hold more than 63,000 U.S. patents and have 13,000 licensed technologies. Their innovations have generated over $3 trillion in revenue and generated 1 million jobs.

Two NC State faculty inventors were inducted into the 2023 Class of Fellows during the event. Dr. Craig Yencho, a renowned sweetpotato and potato researcher with over 55 U.S. and international plant patents, is the co-inventor of the Covington sweetpotato variety, which makes up 90% of the sweetpotato crop grown in the state and 20% of the sweetpotatoes acreage in the United States. It has generated over $3.5 billion in revenue for North Carolina growers, highlighting a success pathway for plant breeding innovators and emphasizing NC State’s strong history as a land grant institution.

Dr. Ken Adler, a leader in airway disease research with 10 U.S. patents, four foreign patents, and over 120 publications, will also be inducted. Adler discovered the role of the MARCKS protein in excessive mucus production in respiratory diseases and developed a peptide to inhibit it, ultimately forming a startup company to commercialize the technology.

Supporting the Next Generation of Innovators

NAI is also an advocate for the recognition and encouragement of the next generation of innovative researchers, from early-career faculty to graduate students, and undergraduate students to K-12 students. 

The 2024 Annual Conference featured the induction of the 2023 Class of NAI Senior Members. Senior Membership provides national recognition for faculty inventors who are rising stars in their field and have research discoveries with the potential to greatly impact our society. 

NAI’s annual event works to highlight student inventors as well. Its annual student showcase identifies and celebrates K-12 and university inventors, with the Genspiration Prize being awarded to the student inventor or inventor team that demonstrates the greatest potential for positive social impact.

The conference also played host to the “Change Your Game” exhibit, a mobile learning exhibit from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation. This interactive, hands-on, mobile STEM lab provided an opportunity for local middle school students from various schools in Raleigh to experiment to solve invention challenges centered around sports, with a goal of fostering an inventive identity in young students.

The NAI Annual Conference was co-hosted by NC State’s Office of Research Commercialization in partnership with NAI along with generous support provided from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

Learn more about National Academy of Inventors (NAI) and how it supports inventive excellence: https://academyofinventors.org/