Ten regional innovators awarded funding through the KCV IMPACT Competition
- Kentucky Commercialization Ventures
- 4 days ago
- 7 min read
Kentucky Commercialization Ventures is pleased to announce the 2025 winners of the IMPACT Competition.
The goal of the competition is to encourage ideation relevant to the improvement of the social, health, or economic conditions and highlight the value of innovators from across the state of Kentucky. Winners receive up to $25,000 for their institution to bring their innovations to life. The IMPACT Competition is supported by the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development.
Learn more about the winners and their innovative projects below.
Meet the 2025 IMPACT Award Winners
First Place Winner - $25,000
Dr. Chad Phillips
Institution: Henderson Community College Collaborators: Dr. Scott Taylor
AI Automated Portfolio Assessment
Read more about the winning innovation.
Runners-Up - $15,000 Each
Dr. Mahdi Yazdanpour
Institution: Northern Kentucky UniversityÂ
Collaborators:Â Dr. Yangyang Tao
AI-Driven Neuroprosthetics: Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm with Hybrid Brain Computer Interface
Read more about the winning innovation.
Dr. Rachel Tinius
Institution: Western Kentucky UniversityÂ
Collaborators:Â Dr. Michael Lhamon, Dr. Kevin Donohue, Dr. Shebna Unes
Fetal Heartrate Monitoring Device
Read more about the winning innovation.
Runners-Up - $10,000 Each
Dr. Ankur Chattopadhyay
Institution: Northern Kentucky University
Collaborators: John Alan Gates, Ezra Faith
PawCounsel: An AI Chatbot for Pet-Health Information Validation & Curator Services
Read more about the winning innovation.
Dr. Margaret Ndinguri
Institution: Eastern Kentucky University
Collaborators:Â Dr. Lindsay Cormier
LHRH Anti-Cancer Targeting Complex
Read more about the winning innovation.
Runners-Up - $5,000 Each
Eric Wooldridge
Institution: Somerset Community College
The Huggie: A Seed Delivery and Germination System
Read more about the winning innovation.
Dr. Quingzhou XuÂ
Institution: Morehead State University
Recycling the Cathode Materials of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries
Read more about the winning innovation.
Dr. Cheng Cheng
Institution:Â Morehead State University
Development of a Low-Cost Point-of-Care Biomedical Sensing Platform for Rapid and Sensitive Bioparticles Detection
Read more about the winning innovation.
Dr. Seyed Allameh
Institution: Northern Kentucky University
Modular and Autonomous Standing "Pod" for Urban Transportation
Read more about the winning innovation.
Janet Harrah
Institution:Â Northern Kentucky University
Empowering Communities Through Data: A Literacy Initiative for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Read more about the winning innovation.
If you'd like to learn more about these innovators or their technologies, please reach out to KCV@kstc.com.