GW Monogram

Faculty Affairs

 

GW Inventor of the Year Awards

Under the leadership of the Technology Commercialization Office (TCO) within Faculty Affairs, these awards recognize a regular, full-time faculty member’s outstanding impact on society through transferring technology from academia to the commercial sector. It is presented annually along with a monetary prize to be used for professional development. It provides a tangible symbol of the George Washington University’s commitment to translating research outputs to useful products that impact lives. 

Faculty may nominate a regular, full-time faculty member for these.  The University will honor the recipient at the annual Faculty Honors Ceremony.

GW Inventor of the Year Award

Award Criteria

This award is presented annually to a member of the regular, full-time faculty that has made significant impact on society by inventing new technology and working with the TCO to patent, license, and transfer the technology to a business partner. The committee will consider:

  • What has the nominee invented at GW, how innovative is it (incremental improvement vs. paradigm shift), and what is the potential impact on society?
  • What is the stage of development of the invention? What milestones are achieved and remaining to reach sales? What resources/funding have been obtained to achieve development milestones (either at GW or commercial partner)?
  • What level of involvement has the nominee had in completing developmental milestones, and founding, advising or collaborating with a commercial partner?
Selection Process

The GW Inventor of the Year Awards are nominated by faculty, endorsed by the TCO, and then voted upon by committee.

The process:

  1. Nominators must complete the nomination form via InfoReady.

    NOTE: Log In → "Login for George Washington University Users" → Login with your @gwu.edu email and password.

     

  2. To endorse the nomination, the department will be asked to submit the following supporting materials electronically via InfoReady.
  • GW Inventor of the Year Award - Cover Sheet
  • Letter in support from nominator;
  • Letters in support from department chair or vice or associate dean;
  • Statement of endorsement by TCO;
  • In consultation with TCO, a list of licensees of nominee’s patents, including a short description of the significant patents licensed, development status (on sale, scaling up, clinical trial, prototyping, proof of concept), and nominee’s relationship (Founder, CXO, advisory board member, consultant);
  • In consultation with TCO, a list of granted and pending US patents and patent applications;
  • A statement of impact on public welfare and economic impact (jobs created, lives touched) (200 words maximum);
  • Optional external (outside of GW) support letters (e.g., patent licensee) (two maximum); and
  • Optional citations to publications related to inventions. 
     

The submission package should be a maximum of 25 pages, not including the required cover sheet and nominee's CV; materials beyond the 25-page limit will not be considered.

More information on how to submit via InfoReady will be sent after the call for nominations has closed. 

Nominate Here for Inventor of the Year! 

 

Early Career GW Inventor of the Year Award

Award Criteria

This award has the same criteria as the GW Inventor of the Year, but Early Career nominees must either have an assistant professor position, or have received a terminal degree within the 10 years prior to the submission package due date.

Selection Process

The GW Early Career Inventor of the Year Awards are nominated by faculty, endorsed by the TCO, and then voted upon by committee.

The process:

  1. Nominators must complete the nomination form via InfoReady.

    NOTE: Log In → "Login for George Washington University Users" → Login with your @gwu.edu email and password.

     

  2. To endorse the nomination, the department will be asked to submit the following supporting materials electronically via InfoReady.
  • GW Early Career Inventor of the Year Award - Cover Sheet
  • Letter in support from nominator;
  • Letters in support from department chair or vice or associate dean;
  • Statement of endorsement by TCO;
  • In consultation with TCO, a list of licensees of nominee’s patents, including a short description of the significant patents licensed, development status (on sale, scaling up, clinical trial, prototyping, proof of concept), and nominee’s relationship (Founder, CXO, advisory board member, consultant);
  • In consultation with TCO, a list of granted and pending US patents and patent applications;
  • A statement of impact on public welfare and economic impact (jobs created, lives touched) (200 words maximum);
  • Optional external (outside of GW) support letters (e.g., patent licensee) (two maximum); and
  • Optional citations to publications related to inventions. 
     

The submission package should be a maximum of 25 pages, not including the required cover sheet and nominee's CV; materials beyond the 25-page limit will not be considered.

More information on how to submit via InfoReady will be sent after the call for nominations has closed. 

Nominate Here for Early Career Inventor of the Year!

 

For more information about criteria and how to apply, please direct inquiries to tcoatgwu [dot] edu (tco[at]gwu[dot]edu).

 

2025 Inventor of the Year Award Winner Video


Past videos:

2024           2023