Year in Review

$1 Billion in Research Awards

Emory University secured more than $1 billion in sponsored research awards during FY23. This unprecedented achievement builds on an increase in faculty proposals and breaks our previous record of $944.5 million last fiscal year. Crossing this mark places Emory among a select group of elite universities to reach $1 billion in awards, an amount that represents a growth of 55% since we achieved $689m five years ago.

This increase will enable us to continue to fulfill our mission of creating, preserving, and applying knowledge in the service of humanity.

#2 in AUTM Licensing Revenue

Earning $266.7M, Emory was ranked #2 in licensing revenue for AUTM's Annual Licensing Survey for FY22. The primary driver of this income is the COVID-19 antiviral molnupiravir.

Revenue from groundbreaking products discovered at Emory is put back into promising research, helping us continue to impact patient care.

#3 in Drug Discovery

Emory was recently ranked #3 in an analysis of new drug discoveries by public institutions, contributing more FDA-approved drugs and vaccines than any other public institution in the world except the University of California system and the National Institutes of Health. The study, published in April in the Journal of Technology Transfer, analyzed international public-sector contributions to Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs and vaccines in search of a clearer understanding of worldwide biomedical innovation.

Dennis Liotta, PhD, named one of five Faces of American Innovation

In August 2023, the Bayh-Dole Coalition honored Emory's Dennis Liotta with their inaugural American Innovator Award, naming him one of five "Faces of American Innovation."

With the development of emtricitabine and lamivudine, Liotta's work on chemical compounds helped to transform HIV from a death sentence into a manageable illness.

Two Emory researchers named NAI Fellows

George Painter, PhD, and Ray Dingledine, PhD, have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the highest professional distinction accorded to academic inventors.

NAI Fellows are academic inventors who have "created or facilitated inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society."

Khalid Salaita earns €500k Merck Future Insights Prize

Khalid Salaita, PhD, received the prize for his work on Rolosense, a viral sensing technology with the potential to become a passive monitoring system to detect aerosolized virus particles.

The prestigious award is given to a researcher whose work currently lays the foundation for a “dream product” that is important for the future survival of humanity.

Todd Sherer elected to COGR board

OTT Executive Director Todd Sherer, PhD, joined the 2023-24 COGR Board of Directors. COGR, or the Council on Governmental Relations, is an association of leading research institutions. It advises on financial and regulatory infrastructures and corresponding compliance requirements associated with managing federal research grants and contracts within research institutions.

Emory start-ups see success in FY23

Emory start-ups had an excellent year on several fronts:

• Nyra Medical raised a $20M Series A
• Sanguina closed $2.8M Series A
• Meissa Vaccines announced positive safety and immunogenicity data of RSV vaccine MV-012-968 to protect infants and toddlers
• Neurotrauma Sciences had an IND filing and dosed their first patient in Phase I

In FY23, OTT helped form eight start-ups. As for the companies formed in previous years, 103 are still active.

Students and interns learn tech transfer

OTT's internship and student employment program give real-world experience and insight into the tech transfer industry. This year, we worked with 16 students and interns. But since the program's inception, we've had 166 interns and 41 student employees. Nine interns have become full-time employees at Emory OTT.

Could OTT's intern program be for you? Learn more and apply here.