Blogs

In education technology (ed-tech), instructional materials, learning environments, learners, and the learning process are analyzed, designed, developed, implemented, and evaluated to improve teaching and learning. This market is currently growing due to technological advancements and the recent increasing demand for online learning. As a result, the global ed-tech market was valued at $127 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $429.5 billion by 2030.

Leading companies play a crucial role in delivering ed-tech services. Some of the top companies in this field include Microsoft ($198.27 billion dollar revenue as of 2022), Google ($257.637 billion dollar revenue as of 2021), and Oracle ($42.44 billion dollar revenue as of 2021).

Additionally, venture capital investments remain an important factor for ed-tech companies. For example, Articulate, a workplace training technology provider, received $1.5 billion in venture capital funding in 2021.

Furthermore, the trend of ed-tech spending continues to rise thanks to its numerous benefits, including greater flexibility, heightened student engagement, and reduced paper use. By 2025, education technology is expected to reach $404B in total global expenditure.

With ed-tech companies experiencing growth in both revenue and funding, it's important for universities to establish innovation partnerships with them to stay ahead. FirstIgnite can help your university identify and partner with the ed-tech companies you need to further your research and development.

FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of MaineHealth’s new magnetohydrodynamic vascular graft technology. The medical device uses magnetohydrodynamic principles to generate forward fluid flow with an in situ electric current perpendicular to a magnetic field and no moving parts. Furthermore, the device brings superior clinical outcomes for those with cardiovascular conditions, reducing significant adverse effects, repeat hospitalizations, and improving quality of life and lifespan.

This technology is applicable to heart surgery, AV fistulas, peripheral vascular reconstruction, solid organ transplant, and venous reconstructions following tumor resection. The market for cardiovascular devices is growing rapidly, valued at $52.90 billion in 2021 and projected to reach $92.51 billion by 2030.

MaineHealth’s magnetohydrodynamic vascular graft technology is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the MaineHealth team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.

FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s new blood gas analyzer technology - the Luminescence Oxygen Sensor (LUO). This cost-efficient, miniaturized device can wirelessly and continuously monitor oxygen parameters for patients with fragile respiratory status, allowing for at-home management. The LUO's advantage is that it measures PtcO2 as rapidly as oxygen saturation, making PtcO2 data readily available through wireless communication for prompt clinical decision-making.

This technology is beneficial for patients with conditions such as high-risk newborns, asthma, COPD, sleep disorders, Covid-19, and other respiratory illnesses. In 2022, the market for blood gas and electrolyte analyzers was valued at $2.98 billion and is expected to increase to $3.75 billion by 2026.

Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s blood gas analyzer technology is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the Worcester Polytechnic Institute team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.

FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of Mississippi State University’s hydrophobic paper technology. This technology uses a metal-ion modification method to convert conventional paper (e.g., newspapers, copy paper, packing paper, tissue paper, and kraft paper) to hydrophobic paper. This opens up new opportunities for use as packaging materials and tableware, as well as an absorbent for oil spill cleanup and a membrane for separating water and oil mixtures/emulsions.

This invention has the potential to revolutionize conventional paper products and tableware industries by making them water-repellent. As of 2023, the global paper products market is valued at $1036.59 billion and is projected to grow to $1293.15 billion by 2027.

Mississippi State University’s hydrophobic paper technology is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the Mississippi State University team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.

FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of Florida International University’s perforations on asphalt shingles for wind load reduction technology. Perforations in the leading edge of roofing asphalt shingles allow pressure reduction in the shingle’s cavity by directing flow upward through the gaps, reducing positive pressure inside the cavity. The technology offers improved aerodynamics, stronger wind resistance, and a streamlined manufacturing process.

The application of this technology to asphalt shingles for roofing holds great potential. The global roofing materials market was $23.88 billion in 2021 and is expected to reach $32.63 billion by 2030.

Florida International University’s wind load reduction technology is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the Florida International University team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.

FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of Portland State University’s new modular power converter technology. The power converter concept provides power electronics designers with new tools for creating circuit designs with improved reliability, efficiency, and smaller volume through the use of fewer or smaller capacitors and modulated load-to-output controllers. Furthermore, this technology provides several benefits, including the ability to reduce the total capacitance required, use more reliable film capacitors with longer life and reliability compared to other formats, and a scalable architecture that suggests future designs may be more densely packed within the same volume.

Applications for this technology include power transmission, high voltage/current in minimal volume (transportation, personal electronics, lighting), photovoltaic charge capture, military, satellite, and space applications, LED arrays, and DC/DC and AC/DC conversion at higher efficiency. In 2022, the global electric power transmission and distribution market was valued at $209.65 billion and is anticipated to reach $326.5 billion by 2030.

Portland State University’s modular power converter is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the Portland State University team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.

FirstIgnite is supporting the commercialization of Florida International University’s new Communication Virtual Machine (CVM) technology. This is a software technology that enables the creation, synthesis, and delivery of digital communication solutions across application domains. The CVM offers a model-based method for developing custom communication applications that meet the requirements of users. Its benefits include cost-effective and time-efficient communication, fast development, ease of use, reusability, reliability, support for both synchronous and asynchronous communication modes, network and device independence, and easy deployment over the internet.

The CVM is applicable to mainly telemedicine but also to industries like disaster management, defense communication, and banking & financing. In 2022, the telemedicine market was valued at $91.2 billion, and it is expected to reach $380.3 billion by 2030.

Florida International University’s CVM technology is ready for collaboration (licensing, partnerships, industry feedback, etc.). Is your company the right fit? If you’d be available for a conversation with the Florida International University team, you can schedule a time directly on their team’s calendar here.

Did you know that a medical researcher at the University of Pittsburgh developed the polio vaccine? Dr. Jonas Salk originated the treatment that has saved millions of lives.

Polio is a viral illness, affecting children primarily, that impacts the nervous system, leading to muscle weakness and paralysis, particularly in the legs. Prior to the development of the polio vaccine, the disease killed many people and left others paralyzed. A total of 57,628 polio cases were reported in the United States in 1952. In the pursuit of an effective solution, Dr. Jonas Salk and his team at the University of Pittsburgh worked to develop a polio vaccine. In 1953, Dr. Salk tested the vaccine on himself and his family before conducting trials. The trials proved successful, and the vaccine was approved for widespread use in 1955, leading to a significant decrease in the incidence of polio.

Dr. Salk's polio vaccine has had a significant impact on public health, saving an estimated 1.5 million children's lives. Over the years, other researchers have continued to build on and refine the vaccine. As a result, there have been no cases of wild polio originating in the United States since 1979. With the growing global population, the demand for the polio vaccine has increased. In 2020, the market was valued at $13.95 billion and is projected to reach $20.29 billion by 2027.

Innovation at universities can change the world. By keeping track of the latest advancements, you can uncover new technologies that can give you a significant competitive advantage. FirstIgnite can help your organization identify and partner with the specific universities, laboratories, and experts you need in order to discover the next medical advancement, like the polio vaccine.

Digital health refers to technologies related to computing platforms, connectivity, software, and sensors used for health care and related purposes. The global market for digital health was valued at $270.60 billion in 2021 and is predicted to reach $1354.68 billion by 2030. This market is growing rapidly due to the adoption of software solutions by patients, hospitals, healthcare providers, and insurance payers.

Companies play a significant role in delivering digital health services, including eHealth, cloud computing, and big data. Currently, the top digital health companies include Cisco ($51.6 billion dollar revenue as of 2021), Koninklijke Philips ($20.4 billion dollar revenue as of 2021), and AthenaHealth ($1.2 billion dollar revenue as of 2021).

Venture capital funding has allowed these companies to be in an ideal position for continued growth. In 2021, digital health startups received $29.1 billion across 729 deals from venture capital investments.

Additionally, physicians recognize the many advantages of digital health, including reduced inefficiencies, improved access, and decreased costs. The percentage of physicians who believed that digital health tools are beneficial for patient care increased from 85% in 2016 to 93% in 2022.

As digital health companies continue to see growth in revenue and funding, it is crucial for your campus to establish innovation partnerships with them in order to remain competitive in the industry. FirstIgnite can help your university identify and partner with the digital health companies you need to further your research and development.

The University of Wyoming’s faculty member, Liudmila Mainzer, has partnered with FirstIgnite to find partnerships for her computing research in association with the Advanced Research Computing Center (ARCC). As the Director of the ARCC, Mainzer has access to centralized scientific computing resources such as HPC and research storage, as well as connections to other research institutions within the state and across the country. Among her many accomplishments, she has successfully led research projects such as identifying mutations for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome, accelerating clinical genomic analyses, and developing a deep-learning pipeline for brain image analysis with graphics processing units.

Mainzer is an expert in providing high-performance computing support to biomedical and other companies and has successfully led projects at several organizations such as the Mayo Clinic. One of her research areas, genomics, is forecast to experience significant growth in the coming years. The genomics market is expected to reach $94.9 billion by 2030, up from $28.1 billion in 2022.

The University of Wyoming is a host to numerous renowned researchers, one of them being Luidmila Mainzer. If you would be interested in speaking with her regarding her research and collaborative opportunities, please schedule time with her directly here.

Did you know that a researcher at Georgetown University discovered Allegra? Dr. Raymond Woolsey originated the medication that changed the way allergies are treated.

An allergy is a condition in which the immune system reacts abnormally to something foreign, such as pollen. Before the development of Allegra, the common medication used to treat allergies was called terfenadine. This medication, while an effective allergy treatment, was found to cause fatal heart arrhythmias. In 1996, Dr. Woolsey, while working as the chairman of pharmacology at Georgetown University Medical Center, sought to create a safe alternative to terfenadine. Through his research, he discovered the drug fexofenadine, which is now known under the brand name Allegra. The medication treats allergy symptoms like watery eyes, runny nose, itching eyes/nose, sneezing, hives, and itching without producing serious side effects. 

Currently, the allergy treatment market is growing. The market was worth $19.07 billion in 2021 and is expected to increase to $31.63 billion by 2029. This growth is due to an increase in various forms of allergies, a growing elderly population, and investments in healthcare. Each year, more than 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and Allegra helps many of these people have a better quality of life.

Innovation at universities can change the world. Keeping up with university innovation is crucial to your organization’s competitiveness as it allows you to identify new technologies that can help to give you a competitive edge in the market. FirstIgnite can help your organization identify and partner with the specific universities, laboratories, and experts you need in order to discover the next medical breakthrough like Allegra.

MaineHealth is a not-for-profit integrated health system. It consists of nine local health systems, a comprehensive behavioral health care network, diagnostic services, home health agencies, and 1,700 employed providers working together through the MaineHealth Medical Group. With approximately 22,000 employees, MaineHealth provides preventive care, diagnosis and treatment to 1.1 million residents in Maine and New Hampshire. Aside from traditional healthcare related resources and services, the MaineHealth system also supports entrepreneurial and research initiatives from their staff. With the massive size and scope of the MaineHealth healthcare network and resources, their team sought out support from FirstIgnite throughout 2022 to create connective relationships with over 15 companies interested in commercializing their individual technologies and working with their staff.

Hospital systems are under considerable stress from a variety of factors with the most important portion of their operations devoted to saving lives. It’s within this vein that, while scientific research is an important part of hospital structures, the marketing of said research is not always made a priority. FirstIgnite’s internal tools and services allow for hospital systems and other research organizations to concentrate solely on the research initiatives they are trying to achieve, while providing extensive coverage for all marketing activities. This takes the stress of manual identification and communication off the plates of overburdened hospital team members. FirstIgnite is able to provide this service through the use of a proprietary matching software and marketing services, ensuring that no matter the corporate engagement initiative (technology transfer, sponsored research, entrepreneurial venture, etc.) the connection and conversations to come from FirstIgnite’s marketing campaigns are valuable and productive.

By partnering with FirstIgnite, MaineHealth has been able to connect with more than 15 specific companies (including Medline and Hamilton Medical) who have shown interest in licensing portions of their team’s research portfolio. At the same time, hundreds more companies have been communicated with regarding MaineHealth’s capabilities, making sure that organizations who may have never considered collaboration with the hospital system in the past now understand that there is a clear path to doing so in the future. The MaineHealth team is closer to licensing success thanks to FirstIgnite.

FirstIgnite most commonly is known for supporting universities. However, the team’s services are not sequestered to one area of research creation. Hospital systems in particular, with strained resources and personnel, can benefit greatly from FirstIgnite’s skilled outsourced marketing capabilities. MaineHealth has, and they’re currently 15 relationships closer to new licensing agreements. Their relationship continues with FirstIgnite into 2023.