Partnerships power possibilities: Georgetown showcases the future of research and innovation
Highlights of the 2026 Georgetown University Research & Innovation Showcase
More than 400 investors, industry executives, scientists, policy leaders, and entrepreneurs packed the Lohrfink Auditorium on April 22 for the 2026 Georgetown University Research & Innovation Showcase.
The second annual event reimagined innovation at Georgetown with the theme “Partnerships Power Possibilities,” bringing together stakeholders from across the ecosystem — many of whom are Georgetown alumni — to explore how university research drives the next generation of global solutions.
Hosted by the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) in partnership with the Office of Advancement and Georgetown Entrepreneurship at the McDonough School of Business, the showcase featured a full day of learning, networking, and presentations.
Speakers included policy leaders, investors, and industry representatives
Many speakers urged researchers in the audience to get in touch with the OTC team and disclose their inventions, the first step in protecting and commercializing intellectual property. Keynote speaker Coke Morgan Stewart, deputy under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and deputy director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, emphasized this.
“More than ever in this extremely competitive global economy, our country needs those of you ready to take next steps to commercialize, and there’s no one better place to take those next steps than at Georgetown. Dreams happen here.”
Coke Morgan Stewart, deputy under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and deputy director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office
From discovery to global impact
A high-level panel, “Discovery to Impact,” examined the critical role universities play in fueling the American innovation engine. Policy leaders and investors discussed the path breakthrough ideas take when they move beyond academic journals and into the public sphere.
Moderated by Tatiana Litvin-Vechnyak, PhD, Georgetown’s vice president for technology commercialization, the panel included Norman J. Beauchamp Jr., MD, MHS, executive vice president for health sciences at Georgetown University Medical Center; John F. Crowley, president and CEO of BIO (Biotechnology Innovation Organization); Kiran Reddy, MD, MBA, a senior managing director in the Blackstone Life Sciences group, and Stephen J. Susalka, PhD, CEO of AUTM, the non-profit leader in efforts to educate, promote and inspire professionals to support the development of academic research that changes the world and drives innovation forward.
Crowley, a graduate of Georgetown’s School of Foreign Service, shared his journey of launching a biotech company to find a treatment for his children after their diagnosis with a rare disease.
“That’s how the majority of medicines come to be. Spinning great academic research out of universities through patient advocacy, and scientists, researchers, and entrepreneurs coming together with someone who’s willing to risk capital.”
John F. Crowley, president and CEO of BIO
Not only does academic research produce lifesaving therapies; it has produced many products we use every day, Susalka said, from the Honeycrisp apple to the seat belt to lifesaving wound treatment. And this generates economic impact. He urged researchers interested in commercialization to reach out to the “creative and talented dealmakers” in their universities’ tech transfer offices.
Reddy, also a Georgetown alumnus, highlighted the building blocks of the century-old innovation ecosystem in Boston that are shared by the DMV region, and Beauchamp discussed his experience building ecosystems at Michigan State University – and how Georgetown and the region are poised to create unifying collaborations called innovation districts.
“Innovation can transform lives and communities, and that’s what we want to do in higher education,” Beauchamp said. “The pieces that other ecosystems have had to build over decades exist here but are not fully developed. We need to be intentional about building connections. Ultimately what distinguishes institutions and communities is not whether they have strong components but whether they choose to build a system. Here at Georgetown, we are building a system for purpose.”
A legacy of transformation
Georgetown historically launched technologies that changed global health, including the whole-body CT scanner, the allergy medication Allegra, and the HPV vaccine Gardasil. This year’s featured researchers aim to follow that path, addressing the world’s most pressing problems through cutting-edge science.
Leading scholars from departments and schools across the university – from the School of Medicine to the College of Arts & Sciences – presented research addressing urgent global problems. Solutions from computer science, physics, neuroscience, oncology, and social sciences targeted challenges in immunotherapy, cystic fibrosis, knowledge orchestration, neurodegenerative disease, and the health of democratic institutions.
Read more about faculty presenters and research topics here.
“We view our research not just as academic inquiry, but as the foundation for the next Gardasil or Allegra,” said Litvin-Vechnyak. “Our goal is to identify high-potential discoveries early and provide the commercialization pathways necessary to turn those ideas into life-changing realities.”
Georgetown faculty presented research at the 2026 showcase
Reversing the pitch: industry takes the stage
In a departure from traditional formats, the industry and investor reverse pitch session flipped the script on standard university-industry interactions. Instead of faculty pitching their work, leaders from major corporations and investment firms shared their current research priorities and unmet strategic needs.
This session provided faculty and innovators a direct window into where industry collaboration is most needed. By surfacing alignment between academic expertise and market demand, the session sparked immediate dialogue aimed at catalyzing new partnerships at the intersection of discovery and application.
Companies and investors included Amazon Web Services (AWS), AstraZeneca, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA), Blackbird Laboratories, Hustle Fund, Johnson & Johnson, KdT Ventures, and Servier.
Industry representatives and investors presented at the reverse pitch
Startups and the new venture showcase
The new venture showcase featured a curated group of startups backed by Georgetown research, students, and alumni who presented their companies to potential investors and partners. These ventures represented a wide array of sectors, from biotech to social impact technology.
Faculty ventures included Bonne Terre Labs, Cession Oncology, Hupside, Nextgen Magnets, PushCART Therapeutics, Uvantis Therapeutics, and Xlue. Alumni ventures included 1104 Health, PeraWatt, and Sophia Spatial AI. Student ventures included Capsy, Panikcure, The Petition Company, and Reviving Resilience.
“The talent coming out of our Venture Lab and our classrooms today is extraordinary,” said Jeff Reid, founding director of Georgetown Entrepreneurship. “The new venture showcase proves that our students and faculty are not just thinking about problems—they are building the companies that will solve them. We are seeing a new level of entrepreneurial maturity that integrates perfectly with our scientific community.”
Faculty, alumni, and students presented new ventures
A catalyst for the regional economy
The showcase also highlighted the university’s role as an economic engine for the region: Nina Albert, DC deputy mayor for planning and economic development, welcomed attendees to the new venture showcase portion of the day. By fostering a local ecosystem of innovation and high-growth startups, Georgetown contributes directly to the DC metro area’s status as a leader in the knowledge economy.
The day concluded with the annual Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards, recognizing the individuals who embody the spirit of the showcase through their leadership and commercial success.
For more information about the technologies and ventures featured at the event, read the full program, with links to speaker bios and the awards ceremony, here.
Read about the Innovation & Entrepreneurship Awards in this news story.