Driving and Supporting Innovation

“See a need, fill a need.” It’s the motto professed by Mel Brooks’ character Bigweld of the fictitious robotics powerhouse Bigweld Inudstry in the iconic animated film Robots. It’s also the driving force behind innovation.

Alan Bentley, assistant vice chancellor for the Center for Technology Transfer and Commercialization at Vanderbilt, recently asked a crowded auditorium of doctors (video below), researchers and professors, “What is innovation?”  After a few answers revolving around new products or ideas, Bentley offered his preferred definition. “Innovation refers to the use of a better and novel idea. It differs from improvement in that it refers to the notion of doing something different rather than doing something better.” 

At CTTC, we’re all about doing things differently. We support faculty and staff as they conduct groundbreaking research to increase efficiency and reduce costs in technology, patient care, space exploration, automobile manufacturing, classroom education, and various other areas of economic and societal impact. Our dedicated staff works to build partnerships and collaborations between university departments, as well as between academia and industry, that will support research and innovation. We have recently launched a renewed effort to promote entrepreneurship and new venture creation powered by Vanderbilt technologies. We explore commercial potential and map out a course to take innovations from the laboratories to the marketplace. Just like Rodney and the inventive cast of Robots, we strive to “see a need, fill a need.”

In the weeks, months, and years to come, we plan to share relevant news and information about Vanderbilt innovations and partnerships here on CTTC MUSE. We intend to weigh in on timely topics surrounding the world of university technology transfer and commercialization. Our goal is to highlight the profound impact these technologies have on society.

Please bookmark CTTC MUSE and check in regularly for new posts, new pictures, videos of technologies, and musings on the world of science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship.