The �鶹��ý Business Roundtable and the University of �鶹��ý will host the . This year’s conference is The �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative’s Forum on Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security, Cybersecurity and will be held October 10–11 at the �鶹��ý Convention Center.

UH President will be one of three �鶹��ý university presidents opening the conference with a discussion on preparing students for the future innovation economy.

“The �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative is one of our four strategic directions and can only succeed through valuable partnerships like our relationship with the �鶹��ý Business Roundtable,” Lassner said. “The Future Focus Forum is intended to raise awareness in the community of the many sectors in which we have opportunities to stimulate an innovation economy that creates great jobs for our next generation.”

The forum will feature presentations, interactive panel discussions, “poolside chats” and a networking reception, offering attendees opportunities to learn more about emerging technologies, research and ways to engage in, and contribute to �鶹��ý’s growing innovation and technology industry.

Featured presenters include:

• Peter Matlock, director of commercialization, Joint BioEnergy Institute; Lawrence Berkeley National Lab/Tropical BioTech Entrepreneur
• Josh Sullivan, best-selling author of The Mathematical Corporation; senior vice president, artificial intelligence lead; digital, analytics and strategy lead, Booz Allen Hamilton

Registration information

The registration fee for the Future Focus Forum is $150 ($75 for students with ID) and includes continental breakfast and lunch on both days. For more information and to register, visit the .

The University of �鶹��ý has received a $3 million grant from national education non-profit to continue the advancement of career pathways in �鶹��ý. In addition, the provided a $300,000 grant to amplify the work across the state.

The goals of the combined philanthropic investments are to:

• Sustain the industry-led sector partnerships to advance economic development and develop workforce solutions, while establishing a governance structure to provide oversight to statewide strategic planning.
• Enhance �鶹��ý’s Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) career pipeline by:
  • Aligning the Department of Education’s Career and Technical Education pathways with UH and advancing initiatives to improve UH students’ math and English scores to better position them for successful careers as they transition from high school to postsecondary education.
  • Developing UH STEM academic pathways in Engineering, Information Communications Technology, Biological Sciences, and Environmental and Physical Sciences for the transition from community college to 4-year campuses.
  • Bridging the success gap in STEM for students from underrepresented groups.
• Provide integrated student support to help students face fewer barriers to achieving their academic and career plans.
• Enhance and promote the �鶹��ý Industry Sectors website to be more user-friendly for students and policymakers. This includes linking to UH’s nationally award-winning online graduation pathway system, STAR.

In 2016, UH received a to launch the Building �鶹��ý’s Innovation Economy and Workforce initiative. The initiative builds on and advances two of UH’s key strategic directions—the and . The overarching goal is to expand the state’s economy beyond tourism and military spending to create high-quality, living-wage career opportunities for residents, while working to ensure graduates have the skills that employers want and need.

“Our goal is to prepare �鶹��ý’s students and our workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow in a manner that is highly informed by employers and supported by educational pathways from K–12 to college to career,” said UH President . “Strada’s remarkable investments are paving the way for others like the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to join us and take the positive momentum even further. It is gratifying and energizing to partner with national and local funders who recognize and believe in our groundbreaking work that is increasingly becoming a model for other states.”

Impact highlights to date

• Eight industry-led sector partnerships in banking/finance, IT, engineering, food manufacturing, healthcare (Oʻahu and Maui), and agriculture (�鶹��ý Island and Kauaʻi) launched in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce �鶹��ý. The sector partnership convenings provide a venue for industry to collectively address opportunities for growth as well as challenges; and partner with economic and workforce development, education, and other stakeholders to build solutions.
• 237 state, county, and nonprofit employees received STEM training/certification through the STEM Workforce Fund.
• 16.2 percent increase in enrollment and completion rates for minority students under-represented in STEM fields across the UH System between fall 2014 (2,432 students) and fall 2017 (2,825 students). Degree completion increased 18.3 percent from 415 students in FY 2015 to 491 students in FY 2017.
• Developed and aligned STEM academic pathways to increase student enrollment, persistence and transfer. For example, the engineering pathway was aligned so that all associates degree coursework counts towards a Bachelor of Science in Engineering at UH ����ԴDz�.
• The launch of the award-winning website which uses data visualization to align �鶹��ý’s economic and workforce needs with degree offerings at UH.
• Enhanced statewide data and reporting tools have allowed UH to create dashboards and develop a culture of data use to inform policy decisions. For example, the STEM dashboard allows faculty/staff to track progress on STEM enrollment, transfer, retention and graduation.

“Improving outcomes and opportunity for the students of �鶹��ý has always been a critical part of our mission as we work to strengthen pathways between education and employment for all Americans,” said Bill Hansen, president and CEO of Strada Education Network. “The University of �鶹��ý System has become a leading innovator in higher education, working alongside local and government leaders to improve student success and build the state’s talent pipeline. We’re honored to support this work and to be joined by collaborative partners like the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to sustain and scale these innovative programs in �鶹��ý.”

Terry George, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation president and CEO added, “For �鶹��ý to truly thrive, K–12 and higher educational opportunities must reflect labor market needs and lead to family sustaining wages. We are pleased to partner alongside Strada Education in helping the University of �鶹��ý enroll far more students in career pathways that prepare them for in-demand jobs and obtain a degree that employers actually value. Working together, we can help �鶹��ý’s youth to fulfil their most ambitious dreams.”

President made his report to the at their meeting on November 16, 2017.

Highlights include:

• ()
• Congressional visits ()
• Tax reform and higher education ()
• Programs serving Native Hawaiian and underrepresented students ()
• Defense-related programs ()
• ()
• ()
• Green-tariff initiative with HECO ()
• UH places third in cybersecurity competition ()
• Leeward CC‘s Waiʻanae Moku ()
• ()
• Agriculture grants ()
• ()
• UH Strategic Directions ()
• �鶹��ý Graduation Initiative ()
• �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative ()
• 21st Century Facilities ()
• High Performance Mission-Driven System ()
• Strengthen relationship with UH Foundation ()
• Indigenous-serving institution ()
• Sustainability initiatives ()
• UH Strategic Directions ()
• William “Billy” Richardson ()

View previous reports to the board.

The University of �鶹��ý’s award-winning startup accelerator, , was named one of only 20 national winners of the . This marks the third year in a row that the University of �鶹��ý accelerator has won the competition, which includes a $50,000 cash award.

XLR8UH was the only winner from �鶹��ý in this year’s SBA’s Growth Accelerator Fund competition, which is designed to draw attention and funding to parts of the country with gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem. Winners were selected by experts in entrepreneurship, investing and business plans from both inside and out of the federal government and based on applications and pitch videos submitted by the finalists.

“We are pleased to have our XLR8UH program take home this prestigious SBA national award once again,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation . “It further validates our continuing efforts under the to diversify the state’s economy by creating a third economic leg based on the commercialization of UH research.”

Building on XLR8UH’s national recognition

This award builds upon the national recognition garnered by XLR8UH in 2017, which also includes being named one of the top 30 accelerators in the country by Forbes. XLR8UH is one of the first public university investment programs in the nation, revolutionizing the way innovation and research is commercialized.

“We are honored, once again, to have won this award and be counted among the top accelerator programs in the country,” said Omar Sultan, co-founder and managing partner of XLR8UH and . “The SBA’s recognition over the past three years has helped shine a national spotlight on the strong and growing entrepreneurial ecosystem here in �鶹��ý and on the innovations generated by �鶹��ýresearch.

In accepting the SBA award, the winning accelerators will be committing to bi-annual reporting of metrics on jobs created, funds raised, startups launched, corporate sponsors obtained and more. These metrics will allow the SBA to better understand accelerators and their impact, and to develop long-term relationships with the startups and constituents in these innovative and entrepreneurial communities.

Launched in 2014 as a public-private partnership between UH and Sultan Ventures, XLR8UH has mentored and trained five cohorts consisting of 24 companies. In total, these companies have created more than 100 jobs and generated over $5 million in revenue, nearly all of which remains in �鶹��ý.

“With only 20 awards available this year, the two tiered selection process made the competition even more difficult,” said Jane Sawyer, director of the SBA’s �鶹��ý District Office. “Our team is extremely pleased that XLR8UH once again was recognized as one of the nation’s top accelerators.”

Potential game-changing research from three professors were highlighted at the UH Tech Showcase held on October 18 at the Bankers’ Club at First Hawaiian Center. Presentations from the fields of oceanography, tropical medicine and tropical agriculture were made to an invitation-only audience of more than 30 local investors, entrepreneurs and business leaders.

“These are three examples of the world-class research being continuously conducted at the University of �鶹��ý that seek and engage the major issues facing us today,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation . “Through vehicles like this showcase, we hope to develop and strengthen community awareness and investment in the and its goal to help diversify the state’s economy through the creation of a thriving innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem based on UH research.”

Presentations

Revolutionizing climate and ocean change research sensors
Associate Professor of the UH ����ԴDz� showcased his work on oceanographic technological innovations and solutions, which are low-cost, do-it-yourself embedded system sensors that would replace expensive and overly complex commercial sensors and equipment in his field. Glazer’s research could revolutionize the monitoring of environmental factors pertinent to climate and ocean change research by making sensors readily available, affordable and accurate.

Monitoring Zika virus infection
Professor described his development of a superior serodiagnostic assay capable of specifically identifying Zika virus infections from other related viruses. As microcephaly has become an international concern, Wang’s procedure can monitor the Zika virus infection during pregnancy for at-risk mothers. Wang is with the of the John A. Burns School of Medicine’s .

Developing insecticides for specific pests
Professor of the UH ����ԴDz� highlighted his research on monoterpenoids from select essential oils for toxicity effects on agricultural, storage and household pests. His acquired data from testing compounds alone, in combination and at different concentrations and formulations, could be useful in the development of insecticides for specific pests.

The annual event, sponsored by the , the UH and the , was created to increase the awareness of UH’s cutting-edge research and is a component of UH’s efforts under the �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative.

C. David Ai has been appointed director of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, as well as chief innovation officer of the . Ai will be responsible for the management of intellectual property (IP) and UH-developed technology assets through his oversight of three inter-related offices. Ai’s appointment was approved on August 24 by the UH Board of Regents and he is set to begin his official duties on March 15, 2018.

“We are very pleased and fortunate to have a person with the impressive credentials, knowledge and experience of David to lead the University of �鶹��ý’s tech transfer and commercialization efforts into the future,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation . “In our push to become a leader of technology commercialization in the Asia-Pacific region, his stewardship of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization will be absolutely vital to that effort and to the success of the �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative.”

Ai will lead the (formerly known as Office of Technology Transfer and Economic Development or OTTED), that will develop, implement and manage UH’s IP and technology licensing functions, including the active solicitation of invention disclosures from researchers. Ai will also lead UH Ventures, a newly created office that will be responsible for intellectual property and technology licensing, education and the development of commercial partnerships to help drive and stimulate opportunities for economic growth. He will work closely with the Strategic Grants Development Office, a newly created entity to assist and mentor UH faculty, students and post-docs, alumni to navigate the complex development and application process associated with private research funding, including large multi-investigator grants.

“I am thrilled to join the University of �鶹��ý System, and to help drive the innovation agenda with all the colleagues on 10 campuses and in research institutes under one umbrella,” Ai said, “�鶹��ý has a long and proud history of diversity, which is the most important ingredient of innovation—to observe the world from a unique angle. I look forward to this unique and exciting challenge.”

More about C. David Ai

Ai comes to the University of �鶹��ý from the City University of Hong Kong, where he served as director of knowledge transfer, leading the university’s IP commercialization operations for the past three and a half years—concurrently leading an intense push into China’s vast business and industrial world, while developing the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem on campus.

From 2008 to 2014, Ai served as senior IP licensing associate and licensed patent attorney for the Office of Technology Licensing at Stanford University, where he shaped the university’s China strategy and spearheaded their technology transfer efforts into the country. While at Stanford, Ai also negotiated and drafted IP licenses, managed patent prosecution, marketed more than 300 inventions and served as liaison to the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center.

Additionally, he has more than 20 years of experience in various management and administrative positions within large corporations and venture companies such as vice president at NYSE-listed Varian Medical Systems and CEO at several startups, as well as chief advisor at Hitachi Corporate VC in the Silicon Valley.

Ai received his bachelor of science degree in psychology from National Taiwan University, master of science degree in computer science from Indiana University, master of business administration degree from Stanford University, and juris doctor degree from Santa Clara University. He is also a licensed patent attorney in California.

The �鶹��ý Business Roundtable and the will be hosting the third annual . The conference will be held October 4–5, 2017 at the �鶹��ý Convention Center.

As �鶹��ý’s innovation sector continues to make strides, one of the featured keynote speakers at this year’s conference is NASA Astronaut Col. E. . Fincke, who joined NASA in 1996, served on two missions aboard the International Space Station and as a mission specialist aboard the last spaceflight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour in May 2011. His combined extra-vehicular activity time from all three missions of 48 hours and 37 minutes, places Fincke 10th on the list of most spacewalk time.

“This year, we are fortunate that Col. Fincke will join our conference to discuss the outlook of space exploration and astronomy across the nation and its impacts on our state,” said Rich Wacker, �鶹��ý Business Roundtable chairman. “The forum will also focus on matters relating to disaster management, cybersecurity and innovation to ensure that the local businesses and the academic communities understand these key growth areas for �鶹��ý’s economy.”

The forum will feature presentations, interactive panel discussions, “poolside chats” and a networking reception, offering attendees opportunities to learn more about emerging technologies, research, and ways to engage in, and contribute to �鶹��ý’s growing innovation and technology industry.

University of �鶹��ý President added, “UH is committed to continue partnering with local businesses and government to help drive innovation in �鶹��ý. Future Focus provides us the opportunity to share our progress and capabilities as we also listen to and learn from leading experts in key growth areas in which our is working to help diversify the state’s economy and create more living-wage jobs.”

Featured presenters include:

• Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, commanding general, U.S. Army Cyber Command
• John Roth, director of business development, Sierra Nevada Corporation’s Space Systems
• Adelina Kamal, executive director, Association of Southeast Asian Nations Coordinating Center for Humanitarian Assistance on Disaster Management

The event will also feature the public launch of Cyber�鶹��ý, a partnership of local federal, state, county, private industry, professional organizations and academia combining efforts to implement a “cyber-ecosystem” to defend �鶹��ý against cyberattacks. Cyber�鶹��ý is aligned by CyberUSA, a non-profit “community of communities” governed by its members, established to enhance information sharing between states and improve cyber resilience at all levels of participation—local, regional and national—all while connecting the cyber ecosystem of the U.S and its allies.

Registration information

The registration fee for the conference is $100 ($50 for students with ID), which also includes continental breakfast on both days and lunch and a reception on the first day. .

University of �鶹��ý spinouts Adnoviv, LLC; Radial3D and SNR Analytics, Inc. (SNRAI) were invited to present at the prestigious showcase of university technologies held on June 28, 2017 at California State University, Los Angeles.

Presentations were made to an invitation-only audience of over 200 investors, entrepreneurs, and faculty and staff from the participating universities. The University �鶹��ý spinouts were invited to participate in the showcase by the UH Office of Technology Transfer, Arizona State University Technology Transfer and the Los Angeles Venture Association.

Adnoviv

Adnoviv’s intelligent occupancy sensors were developed by and of the UH ����ԴDz� . The company’s True Presence Occupancy Detection Sensors are the first to employ Doppler radar “life-signs” sensing technology to detect true human presence in indoor spaces to avoid the cost and nuisance associated with erroneous power switching.

Radial3D

Radial3D, developed by a team led by Scott Lozanoff of the , is a collaborative platform that allows medical students and healthcare professionals to work together to view medical imagery and share their diagnosis. It is a 3D web-based medical imaging platform that is accessible from any web-connected device and any VR/AR device.

SNRAI

SNRAI is a technology company focused on the discovery and validation of molecular signatures for precision immunotherapy applications. Developed by and his colleagues at the , SNRAI is an analytical pipeline that seeks to develop a portfolio that will provide “companion” diagnostics for existing antibodies that target specific checkpoint genes in a given cancer, or suggest cancers for which an antibody targeting a specific checkpoint gene should be developed.

Both Adnoviv and Radial 3D are graduates of XLR8UH, the University of �鶹��ý’s multiple award-winning proof of concept center and venture accelerator program.

“I’m pleased that we were invited to First Look LA for a third consecutive year,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation . “It further validates our continuing efforts under the �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative to help diversify the state’s economy through the creation of a thriving innovation and entrepreneurial ecosystem based on UH research.”

More about First Look LA

First Look LA is a full-day showcase of emerging technology investment opportunities from premier research institutions in Southern California and Arizona, including Caltech, USC, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, Children’s Hospital LA, City of Hope, and Arizona State University.

, UH vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, shares his analysis of the 2017 legislative session to date.

The is now entering its final month for 2017, and in the next few weeks both the and the will be meeting in joint conference committee to deliberate their disagreements with each other’s draft of the state budget and to eventually settle on appropriation decisions for every state department and agency.

The deliberations will be watched by all state agencies including the . Prior to the beginning of the legislative session, UH submitted a very lean request for additional general fund support of $28,700,000 in FY18 and $29,600,000 in FY19. All requests aligned with the four strategic directions which include: , , and .

The Governor’s Executive Budget, which was submitted in December 2016, included a total of $21,900,372 for FY18 and $21,834,372 for FY19 for UH. However in early February, the governor sent down a message significantly reducing his December budget request due to the Council of Revenue’s downward forecast, and the only item which remained was $5,000,000 in each year for the .

In March of 2017, the House draft of the state budget only provided six school psychologists for a total of $600,000 appropriation, but transferred four extension agents from UH Mānoa to the State Department of Agriculture for a total of $330,000, which provided UH with a net gain of $270,000.

At the beginning of April, the Senate passed its version of the budget, which provided $3,000,000 in each year for the UH Cancer Center; $350,000 for concussion awareness; $240,800 for Heʻeia Reserve; $1,290,000 for Title IX compliance; $400,000 for positions to help with the management of UH’s capital projects; and $1,829,000 for the �鶹��ý Promise Program.

With uncertainty in the trajectory of state tax revenues and pressure from on-going collective bargaining negotiations, it is likely that very few additional requests will be funded by the Legislature.

Since the conference committee meetings on the budget will begin shortly, below is a synopsis of how UH has fared this session.

Much of the university’s request is not included in either the House or Senate version of the budget—although, it appears the Senate was marginally more supportive of the university’s overall request than the House.

For the capital improvement projects budget, the initial UH request was for $452.6 million over the two-year biennium. That amount was reduced by the governor to $150 million in his request submitted to the Legislature in December 2016. The House draft of the budget provided $150.5 million, although that was separated into 50+ individual line itemed projects. The Senate draft provided only $62.8 million for capital projects.

The following table shows the four main categories:

• Major projects: Whole building renovations or new structures
• Minor projects: A only category that focuses on smaller improvements
• Renew, improve and modernize (RIM): Projects that prioritize classrooms, laboratories and student spaces centered around improving the learning environment; and
• Planning: Initiatives that support or deliver long-term development plans that strategically align with the core mission of the campus.

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Once the conference committee meetings start, much will need to be discussed, and we will need to wait for the end of session to see how the university fared. The �鶹��ý State Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 4, 2017.

The University of �鶹��ý announced that two of its accelerator programs, and the UH Maui College (MFIC) at UH Maui College, were recipients of the U.S. Small Business Administration’s (SBA) 2016 Growth Accelerator Competition awards. This marks the second straight year that both programs received the prestigious award and a $50,000 cash prize.

XLR8UH and MFIC are two of the 85 winners selected across 37 states and the District of Columbia who will collectively receive a total of $4.25 million to boost the economic impact of accelerators. The purpose of the SBA’s annual competition is to draw attention and funding to parts of the country where there are gaps in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including those not readily supported by the private sector.

“We are again pleased that XLR8UH and MFIC were recognized nationally by the SBA,” said UH Vice President for Research and Innovation . “As we continue to build our innovation ecosystem through the aggressive commercialization of our research, this award is a validation of our efforts to help diversify the state’s economy.”

XLR8UH is one of the first public university investment programs in the nation, revolutionizing the way innovation and research is commercialized. To date, 19 companies have been developed through the program, generating more than $1 million in revenue and $8 million funding.

“It is a huge honor for us to be among the 2016 top accelerators. Winning a second time in a row speaks to the strength of Startup Paradise and the commitment to �鶹��ý’s entrepreneurs,” said Tarik Sultan, co-founder and managing partner of XLR8UH and .

“There is a great camaraderie in �鶹��ý among the entrepreneurial community and what we’re all working to achieve. The $200,000 coming into our State from SBA will support the continued growth of our startup community and accelerators holistically,” Sultan added.

Incubator for future food industry leaders

Through its Maui Food Industry X-Celerator Program, MFIC provides an incubator program to support businesses in the form of training, community resources and access to a certified commercial kitchen at UH Maui College. To date, the program has received 47 applications and graduated 24 businesses in two cohorts—of which 90 percent are women entrepreneurs.

“We are thrilled to receive SBA national recognition and continued validation of UH Maui College and our Maui Food Innovation Center programs for a second consecutive year,” said Chris Speere, site coordinator for the Maui Food Innovation Center. “The funding award speaks to the effort of our graduates, business, government, food industry leaders and community partners that help us build a successful and winning program.”

As competition winners, both XLR8UH and MFIC will report metrics such as jobs created, funds raised and startups launched. This will allow SBA to continue building upon its database of accelerators and their impact and to develop long-term relationships with the startups and constituents in these innovative and entrepreneurial communities.

“The creation of great, living wage jobs in �鶹��ý through the establishment of a vibrant innovation sector is the goal of the ,” said UH President . “National recognition like this illustrates the validity of our programs and the direction of our efforts to create at $1 billion innovation, research, education and training enterprise here in the islands.”

In the official announcement, SBA Administrator Maria Contreras-Sweet said: ”SBA created the Growth Accelerator Fund Competition in 2014 as a way to make new connections and strengthen existing bonds within America’s small business support network, bringing entrepreneurs and innovators together and connecting them with local and national resources that support small business job creation and growth. These awards deliver on a longstanding commitment at SBA to strengthen and modernize these support systems especially in parts of the country where access to capital has been a major barrier to starting a business. This year’s winners show that our efforts are bearing fruit and further cementing our nation’s most pioneering accelerators, incubators and innovation hubs as major players driving America’s technology startup ecosystem.”