News
Welcome to the Innovation News page. This is where all the top and recent news articles will be displayed, as well as all the news from 2023, 2024, and 2025.
Top News
When Denham Springs-based Permanent Coatings wanted to strengthen its cyber defenses, the family-owned industrial paint maker turned to the LSU Cyber Clinic. The clinic is a collaboration between the university and the Louisiana Small Business Development Center (LSBDC). The clinic and LSBDC offer workshops to educate business owners and workers about potential threats, risks and the consequences of common security threats.
When United Launch Alliance needs to check the foam insulation that protects its rockets from space's extreme temperatures, the Lockheed Martin-Boeing joint venture calls on a two-person shop in Baton Rouge: Advanced Microwave Imaging (AMWI) of Baton Rouge.
LSU and Kenyatta University will work together to drive innovation, research and job growth in STEM-related fields in Kenya and globally under a first-of-its-kind partnership funded by a federal grant.
Recent News
LSU-led Team Wins Largest Grant Ever Awarded by U.S. National Science Foundation
A statewide effort led by LSU with more than 50 public and private partners has won the largest and most competitive grant ever awarded by the U.S. National Science Foundation – up to $160 million over the next 10 years. The NSF Engines grant will support Louisiana’s energy industry, create jobs in the energy sector, develop innovative solutions to energy challenges and help train the world’s energy workforce. The NSF announced the award earlier today in Washington, D.C.
Charlie D'Agostino: A life dedicated to fostering growth and entrepreneurship, a legacy of kindness and optimism
He didn't know everyone. It only seemed like he did, and that everyone was his friend. But he made the lives of everyone in the Baton Rouge area, and beyond, better. Charlie D'Agostino - C Dag because no one called him Charles - passed away on Dec. 29, 2023, after a five-year battle with pancreatic cancer. He served as executive director of LSU Innovation Park for 30 years, from its founding to the technology park's current incarnation: 200 acres, more than 40 tenants with 475 employees and an annual payroll of $21 million.
National Academy of Inventors Selects Two LSU Innovators
LSU Professor Emeritus Robin McCarley and former LSU Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering Kevin Kelly have been elected as fellows to the National Academy of Inventors, or NAI. They are among 162 newly elected fellows.
LSU Wins $600,000 EDA Grant to Help Technology Entrepreneurs
LSU has been awarded a $600,000 U.S. Economic Development Administration grant to boost technology entrepreneurship in the Capital Region. The Baton Rouge Initiative for Development, Growth and Entrepreneurship, or BRIDGE, program will use the EDA funding to support entrepreneurs and their startups through technical support, a mentorship program with local mentors and executives-in-residence based on an analysis of their needs.
LSU RANKS AMONG TOP 75 UNIVERSITIES IN THE NATION GRANTED U.S. UTILITY PATENTS
LSU ranked No. 75 among universities granted U.S. utility patents in the National Academy of Inventors’ 2022 Top 100 Listing. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, there are approximately 2,637 undergraduate degree granting institutions in the nation, and the National Academy of Inventors ranks the top 100 of those using the number of patents received by their faculty in a single year.
LSU Names Innovation & Technology Commercialization Director
The LSU Office of Innovation & Technology Commercialization has named its new director, technology licensing and commercialization veteran Spencer Rogers.
LSU-led Team Named Finalist for $160 Million Federal Grant
An LSU-led statewide team of universities, community and technical colleges, agencies and industry has been named a finalist for one of five $160 million National Science Foundation grants. The team’s goal is to support energy transition and decarbonization through technology and talent development across Louisiana’s industrial corridor.
LSU Experts Patent Self-Powered Lights that Could Ignite Algae Industry
Two LSU faculty members have been awarded a U.S. patent for a miniature, self-powered light that boosts the production of algae used for health supplements, food, dyes and biofuels.
LSU Names Robert Twilley Vice President for Research and Economic Development
Today, LSU named Robert Twilley the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, pending approval by the LSU Board of Supervisors. Twilley has been serving as the Interim Vice President since October 2022, and is widely known as an expert in the field of coastal and environmental sciences
LSU, BRAC, NexusLA Present New Startup Accelerator
LSU, BRAC and NexusLA are partnering to create Startup City Launch, a new, 10-week training program to help entrepreneurs turn their ideas into scalable businesses.
LSU'S ANDREW MAAS NAMED CHAIR-ELECT OF AUTM, A GLOBAL NONPROFIT
Andrew J. Maas, associate vice president for research, LSU Office of Innovation & Ecosystem Development, has been named chair-elect of AUTM, a global nonprofit whose members support the commercialization of academic research.
National Academy of Inventors Selects Two LSU Faculty Innovators
LSU School of Veterinary Medicine Comparative Biomedical Sciences Professor Tammy Dugas and LSU Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering Professor Michael Khonsari have been elected as fellows to the National Academy of Inventors, or NAI.
INVENTHERM WINS TECH GRANT FOR ICE CREAM MACHINE
Inventherm, a tenant of LSU Innovation Park, has been awarded a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to develop a commercial prototype of its breakthrough soft-serve ice cream machine.
LSU Lands Small Business Development Center Director
Adam C. McCloskey has been named director of the Louisiana Small Business Development Center at LSU. At LSU, McCloskey leads an office that provides no-cost consulting to small business and aspiring entrepreneurs in the nine-parish capital region. The SBDC offers expert advice on issues from cash-flow management, securing loans, business planning and everything in between.
LSU to Lead Innovation in Louisiana for New Regional Southwest Hub
LSU is one of the lead organizations for a new, National Science Foundation-funded regional hub that will help propel more research out of the lab and into the real world. The $15 million Innovation Corps Hub: Southwest region is part of the operational backbone of the National Innovation Network — universities, NSF-funded researchers, established entrepreneurs, local and regional entrepreneurial communities and federal agencies that help researchers take their discoveries from the idea stage to the marketplace.