A&T Celebrates Legacy of Innovation, Looks Ahead to Continued Growth

EAST GREENSBORO, N.C. (Jan. 26, 2026) – University leaders and inventors gathered to celebrate the legacy and growth of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University’s innovation success Friday, Jan. 23. Seventeen faculty members, representing various colleges and disciplines, attended the Patent Reveal Day event and were recognized for successfully translating discoveries into products that will have real-world impact for society.

The event was hosted by the Division of Research (DoR), and included remarks from its leadership and Chancellor James R. Martin II regarding technology transfer and the concerted efforts to strengthen commercialization at N.C. A&T.

“The journey to receiving a patent is a complex and time-consuming process, yet, it is crucial in protecting intellectual property and gaining a competitive edge that will go to market and generate revenue,” said Melissa Hodge-Penn, Ed.D., associate vice chancellor for Research. “N.C. A&T has steadily built a strong and resilient technology transfer ecosystem that reflects its growing research enterprise and land-grant mission.”

The event recognized 49 inventors who secured 39 granted U.S. patents between fiscal years 2017 and 2025.

During 2025, A&T has seen a significant ramp up of invention disclosures and provisional patent filings.

“There has been a renewed enthusiasm and excitement among faculty members,” said Pritesh Kasliwal, the university’s director of Intellectual Property Development and Commercialization.

DoR also hosted the inaugural HBCU Technology Transfer Symposium, along with The Commercializer, LLC and the 1890 Universities Foundation, to address advancing technology transfer.

Over two decades, A&T researchers have secured more than 75 granted patents, spanning disciplines such as engineering, agriculture, advanced materials, energy, data science and life sciences. Innovations have generated more than $500,000 during that time in cumulative licensing revenue.

“I’m so impressed with what you do to go to the next step, to go through the paperwork and really deliver things that are so important to the campus, the state of North Carolina, the United States and the world,” said Lisa Clough, Ph.D., vice chancellor for Research. “We should recognize our inventors, the Division of Research team and all of the college infrastructure that make all of this happen.”

Faculty researchers also empower students to pursue discoveries that could result in patentable inventions, like the interdisciplinary Woundra team, whose sustainable wound dressing pitch intrigued audience members at the 2025 Innovation Venture Expo, hosted by Delaware State University and the 1890 Center of Excellence for Emerging Technologies and sponsored by Capital One.

Their example builds upon A&T’s rich history, as Erkwood Logan was the earliest-known student to file a patent for a plastic and biscuit-cutting machine that was granted in 1904.

“As we reflect on our legacy and celebrate these successes today, we have to do even more and encourage a deeper, richer, more purpose-driven ecosystem for innovation in this country,” said Martin. “And it’s not just about celebrating the patents. It’s about celebrating the pathway, the process, from ideas and conversations that then mature into richer concepts and prototypes that become research projects, which we apply in a larger way to commercialize them.”

Members of the campus community and the public are invited to visit the university’s patent gallery on the fourth floor of the Edward B. Fort Interdisciplinary Research Center. This exhibit highlights the remarkable inventions that have shaped A&T’s legacy and continues to inspire innovation for the future.