CU Innovators News
The Conversation—Over the past several months, universities have lost more than $11 billion in funding. Research into cancer, farming solutions and climate resiliency are just a few of the many projects nationally that have seen cuts. The Conversation asked Massimo Ruzzene, senior vice chancellor for research and innovation at CU Boulder, to explain how these cuts and freezes are impacting the university and Colorado’s local economy.
Activate—Three CU Boulder-based innovators and their startups have joined Activate's Cohort 2025. Elliot Strand and Payton Goodrich, co-founders of PAGE Technologies, and Nadia Jorgenson, co-founder of OsmoPure Technologies.
CU Boulder College of Arts and Sciences—Edward Chuong, a University of Colorado Boulder assistant professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology and a BioFrontiers Institute scientist, has been awarded $1.25 million by the New York City-based Cancer Research Institute (CRI) to pursue his cancer immunotherapy research.
Stanford—Aoife Henry earned her doctorate at CU Boulder, with a specialization in electrical, computer and energy engineering. Her startup, ZentusAI—recently part of CU's Ascent Deep Tech Accelerator—is developing site-specific wind farm forecasting models for wind asset assessment and wake steering turbine control.
The ATLAS Institute—Plastics are an increasingly intractable global environmental and health concern, and bio-based alternatives have yet to see widespread adoption. Carson Bruns aims to change all that with a new line of research focused on turning agricultural materials into bio-based plastics that can be more easily recycled, composted or even used as fertilizer.
The Global Business Development division of the Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) announced that 22 Colorado companies and 13 researchers have been awarded Proof of Concept and Early-Stage Capital and Retention grants through OEDIT’s Advanced Industries Accelerator Program, including seven CU Denver and CU Boulder ventures.
CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office—Three CU Boulder teams have received New Frontiers Planning Grants to explore bold, high-impact research directions with strong potential for future funding and commercialization. From quantum sensing to climate resilience and Indigenous data sovereignty, these interdisciplinary projects aim to drive innovation at the intersection of research and real-world impact.
CU Boulder Chancellor Justin Schwartz, Forbes—Since World War II, the U.S. research and development (R&D) enterprise has driven an era of prosperity and innovation, fueling breakthroughs in space, medicine and technology while empowering our national security and international trade.
CU Boulder Today—In a major step toward accelerating Colorado’s climate innovation economy, CU Boulder has launched Boulder Climate Ventures, a new interdisciplinary program that equips students to develop and launch high-impact startups focused on climate solutions.
Denver7—As phishing scams continue to rise, two graduating sisters from CU Denver are turning their capstone project into a tool to help people avoid phishing scams.