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News and stories featuring Tech Comm, University
of Minnesota researchers, innovations, startups & entrepreneurs.

Recent News

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Plasma Technology Commercialized to Destroy PFAS and Cut Biofuel Emissions

September 1, 2026

How a cold-plasma discovery licensed to startup Plasma Blue is destroying "forever chemicals" and lowering carbon emissions in biofuels.

Staff members in masks and lab coats operate machinery in a large room in Minnesota Biomanufacturing Services.

UMN quadruples biomanufacturing capability fast-tracking innovations

August 14, 2026

Building on 40 years of expertise in biotechnology, the facility on the St Paul campus will empower new solutions through research and business partnerships.

Portrait of Cynthia Carnes

Welcoming Cynthia Carnes: UMN's New Vice President for Research and Innovation

August 8, 2026

Cynthia Carnes joined the University as vice president for research and innovation on July 31. Get to know our new VPRI and learn more about her priorities for RIO.

headshot of Laurel Corgard

The Foundations of Innovation: Laurel Corgard’s 40-Year Legacy at Tech Comm

August 3, 2026

Celebrating patent administrative specialist Laurel Corgard’s 40th anniversary at the University of Minnesota and decades of tech transfer’s evolution.

government building

Changing the Rules of Discovery: the Bayh-Dole Act Transformed Tech Transfer

August 3, 2026

Explore how the Bayh-Dole Act of 1980 transformed university research and tech transfer, leading to some of the University of Minnesota’s most groundbreaking innovations.

An industrial building with solar panels on the roof surrounded by green space and other industrial structures

Deep Earth, Urban Spaces: How a UMN Startup is Decarbonizing the Skyline

July 15, 2026

UMN startup Darcy Solutions is decarbonizing urban buildings with an innovative, groundwater-based geothermal system that requires significantly less space than traditional geothermal installations.

A person speaks on stage at a podium to a crowd in chairs, outside.

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community provides $150M financing for Niron magnet plant

August 19, 2026

Shakopee Mdewakanton Sioux Community is providing $150 million in debt financing for Niron Magnetics’ advanced manufacturing plant in Minnesota.

Two hands working with metal and red plastic tools

Fasikl: A Bloomington company's AI-enabled medical device makes a big impact

August 18, 2026

Bloomington-based Fasikl is on a mission to improve the lives of people living with a neurological movement disorder that causes involuntary muscle quivering that can interfere with everyday activities. 

Elected officials stand in a line in front of a NIRON sign, shoveling dirt

Minnesota magnet maker receives federal loan to streamline construction of Sartell facility

August 10, 2026

Niron Magnetics, a Minnesota-based magnet maker, will receive a $150 million federal loan through the Department of Defense to streamline the construction of a facility in Sartell.

Two people stand shoulder to shoulder

Adialante Turns to Silicon Valley to Scale Its University of Minnesota-Born MRI Innovation

July 8, 2026

For months, Adialante struggled to pay itself pushing them into “cockroach mode.” Now, it has nearly a dozen clinics onboard and $20M of letters of intent.

Two cells in close proximity. (Source: Orion Venero, Adamala Lab)

SpudCell: Scientists Made a Cell With Most of the Hallmarks of Life. Here’s What to Know

July 1, 2026

From why it was created to whether it’s alive, here’s what to know about SpudCell, the latest advance in synthetic biology.

A gloved hand holds a scoop containing dark, flake-like neodymium-praseodymium alloy strips.

Does the World Need Chinese Rare Earths? Not Necessarily, Say These Companies.

June 2, 2026

Companies that toil far from the public eye looking for ways to use fewer of the key minerals dominated by Beijing are seeing signs of hope.