Author: Bioventures Team
Blog

BioVentures Receives 2025 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition Award from the U.S. Small Business Administration 

BioVentures has been selected as one of the awardees of the 2025 Growth Accelerator Fund Competition (GAFC), a program of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) designed to support the growth of science and technology-based startups across the United States.  The GAFC program aims to encourage innovative approaches that accelerate the commercialization of emerging technologies and strengthen national entrepreneurship networks. Awardees in the 2025 competition receive $75,000 to implement initiatives that address challenges within their local innovation ecosystems.   BioVentures received an award under the Lab-to-Market category, focused on transitioning research into market-ready technologies. Through this award, BioVentures seeks to enhance the statewide culture for innovation and entrepreneurship in health by launching targeted statewide entrepreneurial programming, enhancing mentorship networks, and connecting with national biotechnology leaders.   A list of all  2025 GAFC awardees is available through the official channels of the U.S. Small Business Administration.  For questions or additional information, please contact bioventures@uams.edu

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December 11, 2025
Events

BioVentures participates in AUTM University Conference 2025 in New Orleans  

BioVentures participated in the AUTM University Conference 2025, held from October 26–29 in New Orleans. The event brought together professionals from technology transfer offices across the country to exchange knowledge, explore emerging trends, and strengthen collaboration within the tech transfer community.  The conference offered a valuable opportunity to learn from experts, exchange best practices, and strengthen collaboration across the national tech transfer network.  “From insightful sessions to meaningful networking moments, this experience was truly inspiring,” said Britney Bobo, Project Coordinator at BioVentures. “I had the chance to learn from industry experts, share ideas with peers, and dive deeper into the evolving world of tech transfer and innovation.”  By taking part in AUTM University, BioVentures reinforces its commitment to advancing technology commercialization and promoting innovation through collaboration and professional development. 

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November 12, 2025
Events

BioVentures participates in Bio on the Bayou 2025 in New Orleans 

BioVentures attended Bio on the Bayou 2025 in New Orleans, a leading regional event that brought together innovators, researchers, and investors to showcase the latest advances in biotechnology, medtech, and health sciences.   The conference gathered academic and industry leaders to highlight cutting-edge research and explore new opportunities for collaboration and commercialization. For BioVentures, it was an opportunity to connect with peers across the region and demonstrate the growing strength of Arkansas’s biotech ecosystem.  As Eric Peterson, President of BioVentures, noted, Bio on the Bayou served as a platform to reinforce the organization’s active role in expanding technology commercialization and innovation networks throughout the South.  

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November 12, 2025
Blog

BioVentures Receives Chancellor’s Circle Grant to Expand Student Innovation Training

BioVentures LLC has been awarded a $15,000 Chancellor’s Circle Grant to support the initiative “Empowering Student Innovation: Building an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Ecosystem at UAMS.” The program provides UAMS medical and STEM students with hands-on training in intellectual property, startup development, translational research, and commercialization. By integrating scientific research, technology transfer, and entrepreneurial education, it creates structured, experiential pathways for students and trainees to transform scientific ideas into innovations that improve the health and well-being of Arkansans. Megan Reed, Ph.D., MBA, senior licensing associate with BioVentures, accepted the grant on behalf of the organization. This initiative reflects BioVentures’ ongoing mission to bridge research and commercialization at UAMS and to empower the next generation of innovators working to translate discoveries into real-world health solutions.

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November 12, 2025
Events

UAMS Showcase of Medical Discoveries Highlights BioVentures-Supported Innovation 

The latest UAMS Showcase of Medical Discoveries, held on October 22 at the Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, celebrated the spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship driving research at UAMS. The event featured projects supported by BioVentures LLC, UAMS’ technology transfer office and business incubator, underscoring how discoveries in the lab are evolving into real-world health solutions and startups across Arkansas.  Eric Peterson, Ph.D., President of BioVentures, opened the event by highlighting the courage it takes for researchers to move their discoveries toward commercialization, noting that “commercialization is a pathway to getting biomedical inventions to the bedside.”  Attendees explored a diverse range of innovations, from new cancer immunotherapies and diagnostic assays to medical devices, AI-driven imaging tools, and novel drug candidates. Projects included the Smart Tracheal Collar, a reusable monitoring device for pediatric patients with tracheostomies, and StaphGuard Biofilm, a first-in-class small molecule developed by VanGuard Biofilm LLC to prevent implant infections.  Daniel Voth, Ph.D., UAMS Vice Chancellor for Research & Innovation, emphasized the critical role of BioVentures in helping UAMS investigators protect intellectual property, form startups, and connect with industry partners and investors.  The event drew a strong crowd of faculty, researchers, and entrepreneurs, reflecting the growing momentum of commercialization efforts across the UAMS campus. Each project showcased the power of collaboration between science and business to advance healthcare and strengthen Arkansas’s biomedical economy.  A full gallery of photos from the event is available below. 

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November 5, 2025
Events

BioVentures to Join the UAMS Showcase of Medical Discoveries 

Join us on October 22, from 4–6 PM at the Jack Stephens Spine Institute (12th Floor) for the next UAMS Showcase of Medical Discoveries, focused on UAMS intellectual property and innovations.  The event will feature technologies developed by UAMS researchers and supported through BioVentures, offering a look at discoveries with the potential to improve health outcomes and drive commercialization.  Visit the official event page for more details.  

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October 9, 2025
Blog

OncoRock Therapeutics Launches at BioVentures 

We were excited to host the kickoff meeting for one of our newest startups, OncoRock Therapeutics, right here at BioVentures!   OncoRock is a biotechnology startup dedicated to transforming academic discoveries into impactful cancer treatments. Their capital-efficient model focuses on acquiring promising university assets, de-risking them through preclinical studies and early-phase clinical trials, and then partnering or licensing to pharma for late-stage development.  The company is advancing two first-in-class programs:  The founding team of OncoRock brings together deep expertise across oncology, immunology, and commercialization. Led by Alan Tackett, PhD (CEO), Brian Koss, PhD (COO), Nancy Rusch, PhD (CSO), Laura Hutchins, MD (CMO), and Sonet Weed, MS (CFO), the group has collectively secured over $100M in research funding and combines decades of experience in cancer research, clinical trials, drug development, and biotech entrepreneurship.   We’re thrilled to see their journey begin in our space and look forward to supporting their mission of bringing breakthrough therapies to patients with limited treatment options. 

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October 7, 2025