Ten outstanding innovations have been awarded in the 2025 IMPACT Competition, a program of Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV). KCV is an initiative of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC) providing commercialization and technology transfer support to public colleges and universities across the Commonwealth. The IMPACT Competition, now in its fourth year, spotlights solutions designed to improve health, social, or economic outcomes for Kentuckians and beyond.
Submissions for this year’s competition, which saw a record number of applicants and a highly competitive selection process, were received from all seven KCV partner institutions: Eastern Kentucky University, KCTCS, Kentucky State University, Morehead University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University, and Western Kentucky University. Awards range from $5,000 to $25,000, supporting commercialization and continued research and development.
“This year’s winners demonstrate the incredible innovation emerging from Kentucky’s public institutions,” said Kayla Meisner, executive director of Kentucky Commercialization Ventures. “Each of these projects reflects the kind of community-rooted, impact-driven thinking we support through KCV.”
2025 awardees:
• 1st – $25,000 – Development of an AI Automated Portfolio Assessment Tool, Dr. Chad Phillips, Henderson Community College
Runners up:
• $15,000 – AI-Driven Neuroprosthetics: Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm with Hybrid Brain Computer Interface, Dr. Mahdi Yazdanpour, Northern Kentucky University
• $15,000 – Fetal Heartrate Monitoring Device, Dr. Rachel Tinius, Western Kentucky University
• $10,000 – Development of PawCounsel: An AI Chatbot for Pet-Health Information Validation & Curator Services, Dr. Ankur Chattopadhyay, Northern Kentucky University
• $10,000 – An Anti-Cancer LHRH Targeting Complex, Dr. Margaret Ndinguri, Eastern Kentucky University
• $5,000 – The Huggie: A Seed Delivery and Germination System, Eric Wooldridge, KCTCS (Somerset Community College)
• $5,000 – Recycling the Cathode Materials of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries, Dr. Quingzhou Xu, Morehead State University
• $5,000 – Development of a Low-Cost Point-of-Care Biomedical Sensing Platform for Rapid and Sensitive Bioparticles Detection, Dr. Cheng Cheng, Morehead State University
• $5,000 – Modular and Autonomous Standing “Pod” for Urban Transportation, Dr. Seyed Allameh, Northern Kentucky University
• $5,000 – Empowering Communities Through Data: A Literacy Initiative for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs, Janet Harrah, Northern Kentucky University
“This competition is a shining example of how public investment and collaborative infrastructure can support breakthrough thinking,” said Terry Samuel, president of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation. “By providing resources, learning opportunities, expertise and mentorship, we’re accelerating the path from idea to impact for these innovators and for Kentucky.”
Previous winners of the KCV IMPACT Competition include Dr. Nicholas Caporusso of Northern Kentucky University, whose innovation focused on providing mental health therapy to underserved populations, and Gill Finley of Kentucky State University with a project to increase access to fresh produce in Kentucky’s food deserts.
The IMPACT Competition is supported by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development. KCV was launched in 2020 through a partnership between KSTC, KY Innovation at the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, the Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education, University of Louisville and University of Kentucky. The program provides commercialization support to Kentucky’s public higher education institutions without a dedicated technology transfer office.
To learn more about KCV and the IMPACT Competition, visit kycommercializationventures.com.