UNC Charlotte brought together leaders from government, industry, academia, and the defense community on April 24 for the 2026 Invention of the Year Awards at the Dubois Center at UNC Charlotte Center City. The event highlighted the university’s role in innovation, commercialization, and technological impact.
Speakers included John Squires, under secretary of commerce for intellectual property and director of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office; North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Rachel Hunt; and retired Brigadier General John Teichert as keynote speaker. Their remarks focused on how innovation connects to economic growth and national security.
“Innovation is one of the most powerful drivers of economic growth and national resilience, and UNC Charlotte is rapidly becoming a national hub for that work,” said Chancellor Sharon L. Gaber. “Our faculty, students and partners are pushing boundaries across disciplines, and their achievements reflect UNC Charlotte’s expanding role as a center of innovation for our region, state and beyond.”
The awards recognize when research becomes a protected invention—often marking its first step toward commercialization. According to organizers, UNC Charlotte has seen rapid growth in patents and startup formation while ranking among national leaders in innovation productivity per research dollar. This year’s competition considered 41 patented technologies compared to 27 during its inaugural year.
Award recipients included projects such as self-healing polymers for electronics by Christopher Bejger’s team; an AI-powered drone platform for disaster response by Elizabeth Johnson’s group; bi-specific antibody therapy advancing cancer treatment led by Pinku Mukherjee; a portable optical inspection system developed by Kosta Falaggis’s team; with Soumitra Roy Joy receiving the Grand Award for work on signal transmission using engineered metallic island structures.
The evening also marked the launch of UNC Charlotte’s chapter of the National Academy of Inventors to further support its inventor community.
