By: Amanda Ashley, Director of Communications for Research & Innovation, Office of the Vice President for Research
High Tech West reflects the University of Utah at a moment of acceleration — where discovery, infrastructure, and national alignment converge. Now in its third year, High Tech West has become the Office of the Vice President for Research’s largest intramural research competition. Twenty-four interdisciplinary teams pitched bold, mission-driven ideas to 26 national judges from academia, government, and industry — competing for a share of $1 million in funding. With this year’s awards, the VPR has invested more than $3 million over three years in research aligned with national security and defense priorities.
Hosted at the James LeVoy Sorenson Center for Medical Innovation, High Tech West reflects a broader shift at the University: moving discovery closer to deployment.
Day 1: Biotech & Medicine — Momentum at the Intersection of Care and Capability
“High Tech West represents intramural research at its finest,” said Jim McDonough, Executive Director of Department of Defense Research and Partnerships. “Collaborative, use-inspired, and focused on solving real-world challenges.”
Vice President for Research Dr. Erin Rothwell framed the first day around a broader reality: the operational landscape is evolving, and research institutions must evolve with it.
Over the past several years, the University of Utah has deliberately built the infrastructure to meet that moment. Investments in the Applied Medical & Engineering (AM&E) Lab, revitalized technology transfer, strengthened research security operations, and expanded Department of War engagement have reshaped how investigators think about dual-use innovation. Faculty who once focused primarily on traditional federal sponsors are increasingly aligning their work with national security priorities.
That ecosystem-building has coincided with measurable growth. In FY25, the University reached $781 million in total research funding, including more than $531 million in health sciences research — institutional records reflecting sustained competitiveness and resilience.
Rothwell described Utah as operating on “the steep part of the curve,” a phrase used by military leaders to signal readiness for high-level partnership.
The steep part of the curve represents the phase after foundational investment — when infrastructure, talent, and strategic alignment converge and productivity accelerates sharply. It is the difference between steady growth and sustained upward momentum.
“For us, this isn’t incremental,” Rothwell noted. “It’s acceleration.”
Dr. Bob Carter reinforced that message, emphasizing integration across clinical care, research, and education to “build to last.” He pointed to the Health Sciences enterprise not only as a funding engine, but as a translational platform capable of moving discoveries toward durable impact.
Day 1 Winners — Biotech & Medicine
Dr. Matt Rondina, PI / Project Title: SENTRY / $200,000
Dr. Teresa Bell, PI / Project Title: Geospatial Travel Time Models to Estimate Access to Care / $125,000
Dr. Bradley Bingham, PI / Project Title: SEVOFIELD / $125,000
Dr. Peter Zhu, PI / Project Title: Focused Ultrasound-Inducible CRISPR Therapeutic Treatment for Sarcomas / $50,000
Dr. Misha Skliar, PI / Project Title: Field-Ready Therapeutic Nanoparticles System / $100,000
Day 2: Aerospace & Engineering — From Concept to Capability
If Day 1 focused on advancing life, Day 2 centered on advancing capability.
Rothwell noted that engineering disciplines demand more than possibility — they demand performance.
“Research must integrate across disciplines. It must anticipate deployment. It must translate into operational advantage.”
The second day’s teams showcased innovations in autonomous systems, radiation detection, resilient materials, aerospace computing, cyberinfrastructure, and field-ready technologies. Many reflected the University’s growing strength in dual-use research — ideas designed to serve both civilian and defense applications.
Dean Charles Musgrave of the John and Marcia Price College of Engineering emphasized the responsibility to prepare engineers who can design and deploy solutions that endure in real-world conditions.
“Our responsibility is not only to generate discovery,” Musgrave said, “but to prepare engineers who can build systems that matter.”
The AM&E Lab and broader engineering infrastructure were highlighted as key enablers — providing the testing, integration, and prototyping capabilities necessary to move research beyond theory and into applied environments.
Day 2 Winners — Aerospace & Engineering
Dr. Kam Leang, PI / Project Title: RAPTOR / $225,000
Dr. Ashley Spear, PI / Project Title: Cyberinfrastructure to Enable Secure & Collaborative Supply Chain Innovations / $125,000
Dr. Kai Fu, PI / Project Title: Resilient Rad0Hard Power Systems / $125,000
Dr. Alex Novoselov, PI / Project Title: Fluid Thermal Structure Interaction Simulation for Hypersonic Systems / $125,000
A Signal of Momentum
High Tech West is more than a pitch competition — it reflects where the University of Utah stands.
The acceleration is measurable. In FY25, University of Utah researchers generated 542 invention disclosures, produced $27.4 million in licensing revenue. In FY26 to date, the U has launched nine startups, with 31 additional ventures in the pipeline. Utah ranks among the top public universities nationally for patents and licensing revenue — clear evidence of a research culture built for translation.
Ideas here move — from disclosure to patent, from license to startup, from concept to capability.
That momentum was visible beyond the pitch stage.
During High Tech West national judges and invited guests toured several of the University’s flagship engineering and research facilities, gaining firsthand insight into the infrastructure powering Utah’s innovation ecosystem. Stops included the Kennecott Mechanical Engineering Building, the Hans Georg Näder Lab for Bionic Engineering, the Biomedical Micro-Nanosystems Lab, the Dynamic Autonomous Robotics Lab, advanced additive manufacturing and materials laboratories, the Aerospace Hub, and the Nanofabrication and Materials Characterization facilities.
The message was clear: Utah’s innovation capacity is built, tested, and operational.
These outcomes — and the infrastructure behind them — are not incremental gains. They represent an institution operating at the steep part of the curve, where years of strategic investment in talent, facilities, and federal alignment are translating into sustained, high-velocity impact.
High Tech West makes that momentum unmistakable.
