The Rutgers University Office for Research has announced the recipients of the 2026 Rutgers Innovation Awards, honoring ten research teams that have developed breakthrough technologies and processes with the potential for significant societal impact and economic value. Now in its third year, the program recognizes researchers across all four Rutgers Chancellor-led units.
External experts selected the winners based on a rigorous review of applications, evaluating criteria such as novelty, competitive advantage, utility, socio-economic impact, and the significance of the problems addressed by the innovations.
The award-winning projects span a wide array of scientific and social disciplines. In the field of emergency response, one team developed an AI-powered drone equipped with thermal sensors and a mini-EKG to locate disaster victims, monitor vital signs, and autonomously deliver first-aid kits during the critical 72-hour window following a natural disaster.
Medical and biotechnological advancements include a regenerative medicine strategy for Alzheimer’s disease and related neurodegenerative disorders through a programmable microglial cell therapy platform. Other medical breakthroughs include a solid-state nanopore platform for single-molecule protein detection, a 3D-hybrid nanoscaffold for central nervous system injuries, and a mesenchymal stem cell platform designed to serve as an off-the-shelf source for delivering biologics.
Additional recipients include a team that developed an antiviral portfolio targeting MERS-CoV, Enterovirus D68, and the Chikungunya virus, as well as the creators of OncoFloraRT, a low-cost diagnostic platform designed to detect cancer-associated microbiomes through blood or urine samples.
The awards also recognize social and agricultural innovations, such as the Eviction Tracking System, which provides real-time data for policymakers and researchers, and a breeding program that has produced basil varieties resistant to downy mildew and cold stress. Furthermore, a startup was recognized for its work in developing safer medications intended to reduce prescription drug overdoses in the fields of mental health and addiction medicine.
The winners will be officially honored at the Rutgers Innovation Awards banquet on Oct. 1. The event will also recognize university inventors who were issued U.S. patents during the 2026 fiscal year, as well as innovators with licensed non-patent intellectual property. The Office for Research will also celebrate its Technology Transfer Trainees during the ceremony.
