DURHAM, N.H. – What started with an EPA fine almost 20 years ago is now a licensed online inventory management system for reagents and materials used to ensure lab safety at more than 30 academic and commercial institutions. UNHInnovation at the University of New Hampshire recently recognized the staff responsible for the system, UNHCEMS^®, that has generated more than $1 million in cumulative royalties.

“We know that silos are a reality for most organizations, including at UNH, but this is a story about an innovative partnership to provide an enterprise-level solution that benefits our students, staff, faculty and institution,” said Maria Emanuel, associate director of UNHInnovation. “This solution is for organizations that need to make lab safety a priority.”

The Office of Environmental Health and Safety and the Research Computing Center were awarded the university's Innovators of the Year Award for their collaborative work on UNHCEMS^®, an online system for the inventory and use management of chemical stock, biological agents, radioactive materials, and hazardous waste. The system was first implemented at UNH in 2001 as a direct response to that EPA fine; UNH first licensed it for external use in 2003.

In addition, UNHInnovation reported executing 190 licenses and filing 13 patent applications in FY16, with commercialization revenues of over $830,000. In an example of promising new ideas reaching the market, it was announced that the recently trademarked HuTT^® helmetless tackling training program has already been licensed to four high schools.

“We strive to make UNH a place where the commercialization of innovation is supported and encouraged, and continue to push more ideas like UNHCEMS^® in the marketplace,” said Marc Sedam, managing director of UNHInnovation and associate vice provost of innovation and new ventures. “Our recent $300,000 Innovation Corps (I-Corps) Site Grant from the National Science Foundation is just one example of the steps UNH is taking to increase the interdisciplinary and trans-disciplinary collaborations that bring these innovations to life throughout the university’s $110 million research portfolio.”

UNHInnovation maximizes the use of UNH-generated ideas in the marketplace, creating new opportunities, companies, positive change and economic impact.