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 Winning
Ideas in the Lab and the Boardroom When it comes to the business of innovative science, Scripps Oceanography is up to the challenge UC San Diego is tapping into the entrepreneurial spirit at the forefront of scientific discovery to help uncover the university’s next big business idea. A partnership of the Rady School of Management, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and the von Liebig Center for Entrepreneurism and Technology Advancement at Jacobs School of Engineering, the Triton Innovation Network (TriNet) encourages innovative faculty, staff, and students to connect with business leaders and bring their compelling ideas to market. On Jan. 17, 2013, the group held the second annual TriNet Challenge, sponsored by the Scripps Foundation, to spotlight commercially promising, environmentally focused technologies generated by UC San Diego’s finest minds. The competition aims to give entrepreneurially minded scientists and engineers the opportunity to develop and advance a business plan for their technologies and provide an avenue for potential funding. The TriNet Challenge also offers networking opportunities and personalized mentoring for scientists and engineers by experienced business professionals. Last year’s winning idea was a collaborative effort between two of the TriNet schools. Rady student Simon Bailey presented the Aequoreus Pharma Innovation project, which targets a business market between the pharmaceutical industry and academia. The plan to tap the oceans as a new source of drug candidates was based on the research and discovery of Scripps Institution of Oceanography scientists William Fenical and Paul Jensen, who have helped shape the field of marine biomedicine. Again this year, commercially relevant projects based on Scripps made a strong showing at the TriNet Challenge. Four of the seven semifinalists were from Scripps. Semifinalists were be paired with business advisors from the von Liebig Center, who coached participants as they honed their product, market, and business concepts, in preparation to pitch their ideas to a panel of expert judges in an attempt to win $11,000 in cash prizes. Scripps congratulates our winners and semifinalists: Second PlaceSEA-EYE: Underwater Hyperspectral Imaging Technology for Exploration and Health Assessment of the Oceans Abstract: The need for underwater hyperspectral imaging analysis is vast and diverse, touching many different disciplines and businesses, and could revolutionize certain aspects of science and oil and mineral prospecting. For discovery, such a system would ease exploration of the oceans by providing mapping of the mineral, chemical, and biological composition of specific areas. For health assessment, the technology will help provide early detection of marine areas under stress. (Dimitri Deheyn, Scripps Associate Project Scientist) Third Place
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