UA Little Rock will host Pitches & Demos for the AI Hackathon & HealthTech Startup Week on Friday, June 12, from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. at the Engineering & Information Technology Auditorium.
Dr. Anthony Gunderman discussed how engineering and robotics can help address clinical needs during a recent UAMS Research & Innovation seminar.
Join BioVentures Innovation Day 2026 to connect, explore healthcare innovation, and turn discoveries into real-world impact at UAMS.
Jeff Moran, Ph.D., CEO of PinPoint Testing LLC, will be the featured speaker at 2 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2026, for the Health Sciences Innovation & Entrepreneurship (HSIE) Grand Rounds. His presentation, From Concept to Venture: Building Entrepreneurial Success from the Ground Up, will explore the process of translating ideas into successful ventures, drawing on his extensive experience in analytical toxicology and public health laboratory leadership. Join us at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 10th Floor, Betsy Blass Boardroom. The UAMS community and the public are welcome to attend.
Applications are open for the AI Hackathon & HealthTech Startup Week at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, offering hands-on training, certifications, and $20,000 in prizes.
BioVentures joined the Governor’s Cup in Little Rock, supporting student entrepreneurship and innovation while celebrating emerging talent and the continued strength of Arkansas’s startup ecosystem.
Fatima Abbas and the NanoLit team advanced to the Governor’s Cup semifinals, marking a strong milestone in one of Arkansas’s leading collegiate entrepreneurship competitions.
BioVentures, in partnership with ARise, brought together emerging innovators and entrepreneurs for the first Founder’s Forum, a program designed to support UAMS-affiliated startup founders and teams working to translate research into real-world impact. ARise, a program supporting Arkansas innovators, startups, and entrepreneurs and backed by the Arkansas Economic Development Commission (AEDC), assists tech and tech-enabled companies in reaching new levels of success. The session featured Melissa Kempkes, Executive Director of Ark Angel Alliance and ARise subject-matter expert, who led an engaging discussion on fundraising strategies for bio startups. Drawing on her experience working with early-stage companies and investors, Kempkes provided practical guidance to help founders navigate the complexities of securing capital—from initial exploration to active company building. The Founder’s Forum serves as a dynamic platform for UAMS biotech startup founders at all stages, from those exploring commercialization pathways to those actively building and scaling ventures. Through this ongoing series, BioVentures and ARise are strengthening the UAMS innovation ecosystem by connecting founders with expert insights, resources, and a growing network of support. “Programs like Founder’s Forum are critical to helping innovators move beyond the lab and into the marketplace,” said Eric Peterson, President of BioVentures. “By bringing together experienced leaders and emerging founders, we’re accelerating the path from discovery to impact.” BioVentures and ARise remain committed to empowering UAMS entrepreneurs and advancing innovations that improve health and drive economic growth across Arkansas and beyond.
BioVentures presented its Innovation Awards during the 2026 UAMS Student Research Day, recognizing students whose research reflects creativity, scientific excellence, and an interest in translational science. Student Research Day is an annual event that highlights the breadth of research being conducted across UAMS. The event brings together graduate and professional students, postdoctoral fellows, and medical house staff/fellows to share their work through poster presentations and to engage with faculty, researchers, and peers across the institution. The BioVentures Innovation Awards recognize projects that demonstrate innovative thinking and research with the potential to contribute to future translational applications in medicine and health. This year’s award recipients were: BioVentures congratulates these students for their outstanding work and innovative approach to research. Their projects reflect the importance of early-stage scientific discovery and the role it can play in shaping future advances in medicine, diagnostics, and healthcare technologies. Through initiatives like the BioVentures Innovation Awards, the office aims to encourage a spirit of innovation and highlight the potential of student-led research to contribute to the broader biomedical innovation ecosystem.
From February 8 to 11, the BioVentures team attended the 2026 AUTM Annual Meeting in Seattle to connect with peers, explore opportunities, and strengthen partnerships.
