Rice University innovators claim prizes across health care, energy research

big wins

Rice researchers are cleaning up when it comes to grants and competitions. Photo via Rice.edu

Undergraduate students from Rice University were awarded the top prize in a health innovation challenge.

Design by Biomedical Undergraduate Teams (DEBUT) Challenge, which is organized by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the non-profit organization VentureWell, selected medical device team UroFlo as its winner, claiming the $20,000 prize. The technology, a continuous bladder irrigation system, was recognized for its potential to revolutionize post-operative care and improve patient outcomes.

The winning team from Rice consists of 2024 bioengineering graduates Anushka Agrawal, Sahana Prasanna, Robert Heeter, Archit Chabbi, Kevin Li, and Richard Chan. The UroFlo system provides care to patients after surgery and reduces the burden on health care professionals by implementing state-of-the-art sensors and machine learning algorithms with a touchscreen user interface. This helps with data collection, processing and visualization. UroFlo promises to enhance the management of urinary tract infections (UTIs) and help prevent blood clots.

“We have learned so much from this process and we are really proud of what we have accomplished,” says Chabbi in a news release. “It’s truly rewarding to know that our work can impact patients’ experience and help improve quality of care. Over the many hours we spent working in the Oshman Engineering Design Kitchen (OEDK) at Rice, we’ve not only developed an amazing set of skills, but have also forged really strong connections with one-another and the nearby medical community at the Texas Medical Center.”

The award will be presented on Oct. 25 in Baltimore during the annual Biomedical Engineering Society (BMES) conference.

UroFlo was also with first place in the Johns Hopkins Healthcare Design Competition in the Post-Surgical Infection Management category; first place in the American Society for Artificial Internal Organs Student Design Competition; “Best Medical Device Technology Award” in the 2024 Huff Engineering Design Showcase and competition held by the OEDK; “Outstanding Bioengineering Design Project,” Rice Department of Bioengineering; “Best Presentation” in the Texas Children’s Hospital Surgical Research Day; finalist and “Best Engineering Project” in Rice’s 2024 Shapiro Research Showcases; and semi-finalist in the H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge. UroFlo will continue after Rice, as the project will be developed further.

“We are all very passionate about biomedical engineering, and dedicated and committed to making a difference” Chan said in a news release. “We actually decided to continue to develop UroFlo after our graduation from Rice a few months ago with the hope of improving our innovative solution for urological care.”

In other news, Rice University’s Naomi Halas won $7.5 million over five years from the United States Department of Defense (DOD) Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) with her project proposal Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) for her project titled “Combining Nonequilibrium Chemistries with Atomic Precision,” which competed in the category “plasmon-controlled single-atom catalysis.”

“Combining Nonequilibrium Chemistries with Atomic Precision” addressed the need for more energy-efficient and less protocol-intensive chemical processes that involve using light to drive chemical reactions and single-atom “reactors” to catalyze chemical reactions that are nearly 100 percent specific in terms of reaction products.

Plasmons work when they make metal nanoparticles act like antennas, and certain designed reactor sites on their surfaces can then carry out chemical reactions at a fraction of the “energy expenditure of conventional industrial catalysts” according to a news release.

Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have also received $2.8 million in funding from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) for their research on reducing inflammation and lung damage in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients.

“Cell Based Immunomodulation to Suppress Lung Inflammation and Promote Repair,” will be co-led byRice’s Omid Veiseh, a professor of bioengineering and faculty director of the Rice Biotech Launch Pad, and professor of surgery at Baylor Ravi Kiran Ghanta. They will develop a new translational cell therapy platform “ to allow a better local administration of cytokines to the lungs in order to suppress inflammation and potentially prevent lung damage in ARDS patients” according to a news release.

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The grant is part of the selective Course & Program Grants program, which supports faculty and staff in U.S. higher education institutions to expand and strengthen STEM innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Photo via shsu.edu

Houston-area school secures grant to foster STEM innovation, entrepreneurship

fresh funding

Three academics at Sam Houston State University have secured grant funding to support innovation and entrepreneurship at the university across science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.

Kyle Scott, assistant professor of entrepreneurship, and Bob Milner and Pamela Zelbst, co-directors of the Center for Innovation, Technology and Entrepreneurship at Sam Houston State University, have been awarded catalytic grant funding from VentureWell, a nonprofit that supports early-stage science and technology innovators. Sam Houston State University’s project was selected from a national pool of applicants.

The grant is part of the selective Course & Program Grants program, which supports faculty and staff in U.S. higher education institutions to expand and strengthen STEM innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystems. The goal for these grants is to assist with “accelerating sustainable and inclusive innovation” according to a news release.VentureWell will also help grantees in a cohort-based community of practice that will provide networking opportunities and assistance.

The grantee teams can use the funds to develop new technology transfer certificate programs for underrepresented STEM student entrepreneurs.

“VentureWell is committed to broadening pathways for science and technology innovators and the faculty supporting them—particularly those from historically underrepresented groups in the field,” said VentureWell President and CEO Phil Weilerstein in a news release . “We are excited to provide these talented grantees with resources and support to create impactful programs and learning experiences on their campuses, in their communities, and in the broader innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem.”

Some of the projects the Center for Innovation, Technology & Entrepreneurship has recently done include a “Robohand” to help a child with Amniotic Band Syndrome (ABS).

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Houston space tech companies land $25 million from Texas commission

Out Of This World

Two Houston aerospace companies have collectively received $25 million in grants from the Texas Space Commission.

Starlab Space picked up a $15 million grant, and Intuitive Machines gained a $10 million grant, according to a Space Commission news release.

Starlab Space says the money will help it develop the Systems Integration Lab in Webster, which will feature two components — the main lab and a software verification facility. The integration lab will aid creation of Starlab’s commercial space station.

“To ensure the success of our future space missions, we are starting with state-of-the-art testing facilities that will include the closest approximation to the flight environment as possible and allow us to verify requirements and validate the design of the Starlab space station,” Starlab CEO Tim Kopra said in a news release.

Starlab’s grant comes on top of a $217.5 million award from NASA to help eventually transition activity from the soon-to-be-retired International Space Station to new commercial destinations.

Intuitive Machines is a space exploration, infrastructure and services company. Among its projects are a lunar lander designed to land on the moon and a lunar rover designed for astronauts to travel on the moon’s surface.

The grants come from the Space Commission’s Space Exploration and Aeronautics Research Fund, which recently awarded $47.7 million to Texas companies.

Other recipients were:

  • Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace, which received $8.2 million
  • Brownsville-based Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX), which received $7.5 million
  • Van Horn-based Blue Origin, which received $7 million

Gwen Griffin, chair of the commission, says the grants “will support Texas companies as we grow commercial, military, and civil aerospace activity across the state.”

State lawmakers established the commission in 2023, along with the Texas Aerospace Research & Space Economy Consortium, to bolster the state’s space industry.

Houston experts: Can AI bridge the gap between tech ambitions and market realities?

guest column

Despite successful IPOs from the likes of Ibotta, Reddit and OneStream, 2024 hasn’t provided the influx of capital-raising opportunities that many late-stage tech startups and venture capitalists (VCs) have been waiting for. Since highs last seen in 2021—when 90 tech companies went public—the IPO market has been effectively frozen, with just five tech IPOs between January and September 2024.

As a result, limited partners have not been able to replenish investments and redeploy capital. This shifting investment landscape has VCs and tech leaders feeling stuck in a holding pattern. Tech leaders are hesitant to enter the public markets because valuations are down 30 percent to 40 percent from 2021, which is also making late-stage fundraising more challenging. After all, longer IPO timelines mean fewer exit opportunities for VCs and reduced capital from institutional investors who are turning toward shorter-term investments with more liquid exit options.

Of course, there’s always an exception. And in the case of a slowed IPO market, a select slice of tech companies—AI-related companies—are far outperforming others. While not every tech startup has AI software or infrastructure as their core offering, most can benefit from using AI to revise their playbook and become more attractive to investors.

Unlocking Growth Potential with AI

While overall tech startup investment has slowed, the AI sector burns bright. This presents an opportunity for companies that strategically leverage AI, not just as a buzzword but as a tool for genuine growth and differentiation. Imagine a future where AI-powered insights unlock unprecedented efficiency, customer engagement and a paradigm shift in value creation. This isn’t just about weathering the current storm of reduced access to capital; it’s about emerging stronger, ready to lead the next wave of tech innovation.

Here's how to navigate the AI frontier and unlock its potential:

  1. Understand that data is the foundation of AI success. AI is powerful, but it’s not magic. It thrives on high-quality, interconnected data. Before diving into AI initiatives, companies must assess their data health. Is it structured in a way that AI can understand? Does it go beyond raw numbers to capture context and meaning—like customer sentiment alongside sales figures? Rethinking data infrastructure is often the crucial first step.
  1. Focus on amplifying strengths, not reinventing the wheel. The allure of AI can tempt companies into pursuing radical reinvention. However, a more effective strategy is to leverage AI to enhance existing strengths and address core customer needs. Why do customers choose your company? How can AI supercharge your value proposition? Consider Reddit’s strategic approach: They didn’t overhaul their platform before their 2024 IPO. Instead, they showcased the value of their vast online communities as fertile ground for AI development, leading to a remarkable first-day stock surge of 48 percent.

  2. Use AI as a customer-centric force multiplier. Companies with a deep understanding of their customer base are primed for AI success. By integrating AI into the very core of their product or service—the reason customers choose them—they can create a decisive competitive advantage based on delivering tangible customer value.

From Incremental Gains to Transformative Growth

This practical, customer-centric approach has the potential to help companies generate immediate growth while laying the foundation for future reinvention. By leveraging AI to optimize operations, deepen customer relationships, and redefine industry paradigms, late-state tech startups can not only survive but thrive in a dynamic market. The future belongs to those who embrace AI not as a destination but as a continuous journey of innovation and growth.

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Hong Ogle is the president of Bank of America Houston. Rodrigo Ortiz Gomez is a market executive in Bank of America’s Transformative Technology Banking Group as well as the national software banking lead for the Global Commercial Bank.

Houston joint venture secures $5.2M for AI-powered methane tracking tech

Fresh Funds

Houston-based Envana Software Solutions has received more than $5.2 million in federal and non-federal funding to support the development of technology for the oil and gas sector to monitor and reduce methane emissions.

Thanks to the work backed by the new funding, Envana says its suite of emissions management software will become the industry's first technology to allow an oil and gas company to obtain a full inventory of greenhouse gases.

The funding comes from a more than $4.2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and more than $1 million in non-federal funding.

“Methane is many times more potent than carbon dioxide and is responsible for approximately one-third of the warming from greenhouse gases occurring today,” Brad Crabtree, assistant secretary at DOE, said in 2024.

With the funding, Envana will expand artificial intelligence (AI) and physics-based models to help detect and track methane emissions at oil and gas facilities.

“We’re excited to strengthen our position as a leader in emissions and carbon management by integrating critical scientific and operational capabilities. These advancements will empower operators to achieve their methane mitigation targets, fulfill their sustainability objectives, and uphold their ESG commitments with greater efficiency and impact,” says Nagaraj Srinivasan, co-lead director of Envana.

In conjunction with this newly funded project, Envana will team up with universities and industry associations in Texas to:

  • Advance work on the mitigation of methane emissions
  • Set up internship programs
  • Boost workforce development
  • Promote environmental causes

Envana, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) startup, provides emissions management technology to forecast, track, measure and report industrial data for greenhouse gas emissions.

Founded in 2023, Envana is a joint venture between Houston-based Halliburton, a provider of products and services for the energy industry, and New York City-based Siguler Guff, a private equity firm. Siguler Gulf maintains an office in Houston.

“Envana provides breakthrough SaaS emissions management solutions and is the latest example of how innovation adds to sustainability in the oil and gas industry,” Rami Yassine, a senior vice president at Halliburton, said when the joint venture was announced.

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This story originally appeared on our sister site, EnergyCapitalHTX.com

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