Continued growth in the University of Rhode Island’s research enterprise is driving expanded opportunities to translate discovery into technologies, ventures, and strategic partnerships. In response, the University of Rhode Island Research Foundation has launched URI Innovations, a new public-facing platform designed to strengthen research translation, deepen industry engagement, and support venture creation.
URI Innovations unifies the Research Foundation’s capabilities in intellectual property stewardship, technology licensing, startup formation, and industry collaboration under a single, outward-facing identity. The platform provides a more coordinated and accessible interface for faculty, students, and external partners to engage with URI’s research and move innovations toward application.
The launch of URI Innovations reflects broader shifts across the research and innovation landscape, including earlier and more integrated industry engagement, increased emphasis on interdisciplinary collaboration, and a growing focus on translating academic discovery into societal and economic impact. URI Innovations positions the University of Rhode Island to build on its momentum and further strengthen its role as a partner in advancing innovation at both regional and national levels.
“URI has the depth of research, the talent, and the partnerships to contribute meaningfully to critical challenges across sectors,” said Pete Rumsey, Associate Vice President for Economic Development, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at URI and Chief Business Development Officer for URI Innovations. “URI Innovations is designed to meet that moment – connecting our researchers and technologies more directly with the partners and pathways that can bring them to scale.”
The launch builds on a growing foundation of programs and partnerships developed by the URI Research Foundation to support commercialization and entrepreneurship. These include expanded entrepreneurial education and mentorship through initiatives such as the RISE-UP Ideation Studio and RISE-UP Patents2Products, faculty ambassadors across disciplines, and the inaugural URI Technology Showcase – a flagship event that convened industry, investors, and partners around emerging URI innovations. Together, these efforts have driven increased participation and interest from faculty and students, and expanded industry engagement.
Building on these efforts, URI is also developing the Rhody Innovation Hub, which will bring together students, faculty, researchers, alumni, and industry mentors to move promising ideas into scalable solutions. The Hub is designed to scale a proven innovation and entrepreneurship model piloted through RISE-UP programming, which has engaged more than 250 students and faculty across disciplines and strengthened pathways from research to commercialization.
URI Innovations represents the next phase of this work – providing a more visible, integrated platform to support innovators from early-stage discovery through partnership, venture development, and market entry.
The platform serves both researchers navigating commercialization for the first time and established companies seeking to collaborate with URI’s faculty, facilities, and emerging technologies. URI Innovations works across a diverse portfolio of institutional strengths, including ocean autonomy, advanced materials, cybersecurity, and biomedical innovation, and supports engagement at multiple entry points – from licensing and sponsored research to co-development and venture formation.
For industry and government partners, URI Innovations offers a direct gateway to the University’s research enterprise, including access to technologies available for licensing, opportunities for sponsored research and joint development, and connections to specialized facilities and student talent. These facilities include the recently completed Ocean Robotics Laboratory (ORL) and the future Ocean Technology Innovation Center (OTIC), which will be attached to the new URI Ocean Engineering Building scheduled to open in 2027. By establishing clearer pathways for engagement, URI Innovations is designed to expand collaboration and accelerate the translation of research into practical, scalable solutions.
About URI Innovations
The University of Rhode Island Research Foundation (URIRF) is the home of URI Innovations, the university’s hub for translating research into real-world solutions through innovation, entrepreneurship, and strategic partnerships. Through technology transfer, startup support, and strategic collaborations, URI Innovations helps URI’s ideas move from the lab to the marketplace – where they can benefit society, drive economic growth, and create lasting change. To learn more about URI Innovations and opportunities to collaborate, explore the resources available across our website.