Decoding the DNA of a Thriving Innovation Ecosystem: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and NUtech Ventures
Decoding the DNA of a Thriving Innovation Ecosystem: University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and NUtech Ventures
An incredibly dedicated community keeps everyone focused on what matters: a thriving city and state positioned for long term social and economic success.
Key Takeaways
At the core of this ecosystem is a philosophy of stewardship and real-world application. It's about long-term responsibility to the community and region, coupled with a practical, hands-on approach to innovation.
Brad Roth, Executive Director of NUtech Ventures, models the philosophy, emphasizing the importance of turning research into solutions that improve the region’s quality of life.
Sentinel Fertigation, an ag-tech startup, and Virtual Incision, which simplifies robotic surgery, bring the ecosystem's philosophy to life.
This isn't just about Nebraska; it's a case study in how a well-structured innovation ecosystem can drive economic resilience and improve quality of life.
The article serves as guidance for innovation leaders, policy makers, and economic development professionals. Discover how this thriving ecosystem could serve as a model for your own community or organization.
Main themes: Local Innovation and Community Engagement; Technology and Innovation; Data-Driven Innovation; Knowledge Generation and Collaboration Among Innovation Actors; Adaptability and Resilience in Innovation
Community and shared purpose make all the difference.
Special people set world records. By the time Coach John Cook, Merritt Beason, Lexi Rodriguez, and the University of Nebraska women’s volleyball team sprinted onto the court at Memorial Stadium in Lincoln, Nebraska, 92,003 people had come together to set the world record for attendance at a women’s sporting event. The Sea of Red overflowed, the product of fanatical community support fused to incredible university know-how and organization.
A city of millions setting this record is amazing, but when it happens in Lincoln, population 293,000, something else entirely is going on. This 'something else' isn't confined to athletics; it permeates other facets of life in Lincoln. Within the university, for example, the sense of community and shared purpose which fills Memorial Stadium mixes with applied research in a remarkable way, emblematic of a local innovation philosophy highly worthy of exploration.
This philosophy draws from an inventory of familiar materials. But it’s one that leads to an innovation ecosystem clearly reflective of a culture and sense of place capable of turning volleyball into the object of a world record.
Identifying the Philosophy with NUtech Ventures.
Brad Roth is the Executive Director, NUtech Ventures, and Associate Vice Chancellor, Technology Development in the Office of Research and Economic Development at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL). NUtech's mission is to promote economic development and improve quality of life by finding applications for UNL’s intellectual property. Meeting with Brad and Julie Naughton, NUtech’s Marketing & Communications Manager, revealed a distinct philosophy that is best understood via two interrelated parts.
Impacting lives is really a big deal: whether that’s helping a farmer be more productive or a surgeon become more skilled at his or her craft. – Brad Roth
The first is stewardship. This outlook emphasizes a sense of long term responsibility to the region imbued with a hands-on, practical approach. It is evidenced by the structure of how things get done: community-centric, collaborative, and deeply interconnected with the broader Nebraska ecosystem. It is also evidenced by NUtech’s multi-sector approach. By strengthening existing industries like transportation and agricultural technology while building and supporting new industries, NUtech injects adaptability and resilience into Nebraska’s economy. These new fields include medical robotics, deep tech–which draws upon leading research from STEM fields–and a suite of “techs,” among them biology, sports, and finance.
As a team we have a deep passion and feel responsibility with regard to stewardship. – Brad Roth
The second part of the philosophy prioritizes real world application. It’s the rolled-up sleeves companion of stewardship: responsibility to the region involves prioritizing what works, and scaling it professionally and quickly. Both the applied research needed to fuel innovation and the market validation and commercialization networks required to achieve lift-off require an incredible degree of interconnectedness operating at high intensity and infused with specialized expertise. Creating and capturing value in a digital age requires not only skill and dedication, it requires pace.
Brad raised two examples highlighting the ecosystem philosophy and NUtech’s role within it. One aims to invigorate an existing industry, agriculture, with an astute infusion of technology, while the second plants the seeds of a game-changing new industry. Together they illustrate NUtech’s part in building long term economic resilience through diversification, and improving quality of life.
Sentinel Fertigation
Environmental sustainability is a front-burner issue for Nebraska’s farmers. It has to be: large parts of the state sit atop the Ogallala Aquifer. The aquifer, one of the world’s largest, supplies large-scale crop growers including those using central pivot irrigation. This method uses water effectively but, paradoxically, increases net water usage because its efficiency results in increased crop growing. Additionally, farming can add excess nitrogen to the soil, potentially adding pollutants to the water supply. Sentinel Fertigation, a UNL startup founded by Agricultural Engineer Jackson Stansell, enables center pivot irrigators to measure and target when, where and how much fertilizer to deposit. The implications of this technology are profound given the millions who rely on both the aquifer and crops the land produces.
Sentinel is a direct product of a high-functioning innovation ecosystem.
Stansell is a UNL Masters grad. NUtech’s Introduction to Customer Discovery course helped get him started.
NUtech managed patent, licensing and marketing processes at startup.
Student-led Husker Venture Fund, Invest Nebraska and Nebraska Angels provided early stage venture funding.
Major ag-tech players, including the biggest center pivot irrigators, are all in the area.
September 2023: Sentinel closes a $2.5 million seed funding round co-led by Homegrown Capital, Grit Road Partners, and Invest Nebraska.
Given the region’s competitive advantage in agriculture, it’s a logical, necessary step to secure local ownership of ag-tech applications promising global market potential.
Virtual Incision
UNL engineering professor Shane Farritor founded Virtual Incision to simplify robotic surgery. By creating the first “miniaturized robotic assisted surgery (RAS) platform,” Virtual Incision’s platform, MIRA, is intended to “perform minimally invasive surgeries in any hospital or surgery center”. Miniaturized RAS platforms–MIRA weighs two pounds–deliver such important implications for robotic surgery that Virtual Incision is literally taking a giant leap to space with NASA in 2024, a step toward life-saving surgical interventions in every conceivable setting.
Several links in the chain are worth noticing and highlight why high-performing innovation ecosystems are indispensable.
Dr. Farritor is a faculty member and former UNL undergrad.
NUtech helped introduce Virtual Incision into the venture space in partnership with UNeMed, which took the lead on licensing.
Invest Nebraska made an early investment.
The company took up residence at Nebraska Innovation Campus (NIC), the facility built by UNL to support partnerships between the university and the private sector.
Dr. Farritor now chairs the board of advisors for Nebraska Innovation Studio, the maker space located in NIC.
The payoff isn’t just a promising new company: high level talent and invaluable technology stay in Lincoln while, at the same time, successive waves of startups build upon Shane Farritor and co-founder Dmitry Oleynikov’s advice, support and connections.
NUtech Nexus
I don't want it to sound trite; we truly want to make the planet a better place and to improve people's lives. We want to see research going from the lab to market. — Brad Roth
Special people make special places. UNL and Lincoln’s passionate culture is seen everywhere, from volleyball to innovation, hallmarks of an unmistakably high degree of intensity and dedication to the university, city and state.
NUtech is the nexus linking UNL applied research–from surgical robotics to fertigation optimization–to the private sector. Would-be entrepreneurs contemplating the research-innovation-commercialization crucible need Brad Roth and his team to model the innovation ecosystem philosophy. Researchers and students need a rigorous validation process, mentorship, and encouragement to prepare them for startup and scale-up. University administration relies on NUtech to successfully transfer technology into the private sector. Capital providers need to trust that the pipeline of innovation emerging from UNL provides ample investment opportunities. Lincoln’s citizens and local government want high-paying jobs and a high quality of life, the products of a culture in which each actor within the innovation ecosystem wants the ball, everyone wants to win.
The UNL-NUtech-Lincoln philosophy of stewardship and real world application directs a passionate local culture toward what matters: a thriving city and state well-positioned for long-term social and economic success.
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