U of A inventions break record, again
Engineering faculty and students play a key role in developing university-based startups.
The annual patent medallion luncheon celebrates University of Arizona engineering professors whose market-disrupting inventions often lead to startup businesses.
The University of Arizona reported more inventions in fiscal year 2025 than ever before, making this its most inventive year for the second year in a row, according to Tech Launch Arizona, the university office that commercializes inventions stemming from university research and innovation. This past year saw the U of A community generate 324 invention disclosures, up from the 2024 record of 307.
"We measure the university's inventiveness and engagement by invention disclosures," said Doug Hockstad, associate vice president of Tech Launch Arizona. "Each time an employee – whether they're a faculty member, researcher, graduate student or other staff member – comes to our team with an invention, they fill out a simple form, and that's when the commercialization process begins."
Along with a record level of invention disclosures, TLA also had 94 patents issued and executed 86 licenses and options.
The U of A ranked 31st globally on the National Academy of Inventors' list of the top 100 universities granted utility patents, with 18% of those patents resulting from the work of College of Engineering affiliates.
Student ventures
Also in 2025, TLA organized Startup Wildcats to support students who wanted to experience hands-on entrepreneurship and launch their own startups.
One of those Wildcats was Justin Smith, who graduated with a bachelor’s in chemical engineering in May.
In his senior year he founded a startup, Lazy Towers. The startup focused on a soil-less, vertical farming system poised to reduce labor and improve space efficiency in greenhouses.
Startup Wildcats was instrumental in connecting the young company founder with investors. He received $1,250 at the 2025 TLA Startup Night on Feb. 18 to build out his prototype.
Professors launch startups
TLA helped launch 13 startups in the past year, including two founded by Engineering faculty:
- Senphonix, Inc. brings to market wearable technologies that capture high-fidelity physiological data for an uninterrupted, automated view of patient health. The startup’s inventions are developed in the College of Engineering and the BIO5 Institute by biomedical engineering associate professor Philipp Gutruf; Tucker Stewart, a senior research and development engineer with medical device company CVRx who earned his PhD in biomedical engineering from the U of A in 2023; and Kevin Kasper, a doctoral candidate in biomedical engineering.
- iMagine Design harnesses diagnostic intelligence for clinicians to correlate symptoms with changes in mobility to improve treatment and intervention decisions in health care. This company leverages technologies invented by Janet Roveda, the Litton Industries John M. Leonis Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, and aerospace and mechanical engineering associate professor Kavan Hazeli of the College of Engineering and the BIO5 Institute. Collaborators also include UCLA Professor Emeritus Bahram Jalali, U of A global professor Xuejing Wang, and Hill's Nutrition Associate Scientist Rylie Watson, a former U of A graduate research assistant.
"Transforming research into societal benefit requires more than great ideas, it demands trusted partnerships and a shared commitment to progress," said Tomás Díaz de la Rubia, senior vice president for research and partnerships. "Arizona's momentum reflects a deep collaboration across the university and with external partners who help bring discoveries to life in ways that strengthen communities, fuel economic vitality and create lasting public value."
