Ten regional innovators awarded funding through the KCV IMPACT Competition
- Kentucky Commercialization Ventures
- Jun 5
- 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.
This project focuses on developing software that assists adult learners possessing significant work and/or military experience with identifying coursework equivalent to their professional backgrounds for the purpose of packaging a credit-for-prior-learning (CPL) portfolio. Higher education institutions have only recently started to explore CPL among adult learners who add knowledge and “real world” perspectives to the classroom.
While KCTCS and other Kentucky universities have portfolio processes and CPL opportunities, absence of well-articulated portfolio procedures adds to the challenges adult learners, who may not be fluent in higher education processes, often face. Additionally, even adept and experienced advisors may not be aware of all course-specific content across enumerable programs and credentials. Matching specific skills and competencies to course outcomes manually represents a cumbersome task lending itself to inefficiency or inaccuracy. Further, the impetus of establishing course-specific equivalence may not always reside with the advisor; the responsibility of identifying appropriate courses, proving equivalence, and authoring a narrative sufficiently describing the CPL may depend on the applicant. Academic advising — a labor-intensive and timely process — requires skilled college staff to meet with students and guide them through the process in an “interview” style format, further complicating viable CPL processes.
Runners-Up - $15,000 Each
Dr. Mahdi Yazdanpour
Institution: Northern Kentucky University
Collaborators: Dr. Yangyang Tao
AI-Driven Neuroprosthetics: Mind-Controlled Prosthetic Arm with Hybrid Brain Computer Interface
Read more about the winning innovation.
Limb loss significantly impacts the quality of life for over 2.3 million Americans and nearly 58 million people worldwide, often resulting in reduced mobility, decreased independence and psychological challenges. Traditional prosthetic devices, while functional, are frequently limited by high costs, imprecise control and the absence of real sensory feedback.
This project will develop a non-invasive, AI-driven brain-controlled prosthetic arm that offers intuitive control and real-time sensory feedback. In addition to its potential to significantly enhance the quality of life for individuals with upper-limb amputations, this research will provide unique and impactful educational opportunities for undergraduate students —equipping the next generation of researchers and innovators in neuroengineering, assistive technology and AI-driven healthcare across Kentucky. Read more about his innovation.
Dr. Rachel Tinius
Institution: Western Kentucky University
Collaborators: Dr. Michael Lhamon, Dr. Kevin Donohue, Dr. Shebna Unes
Fetal Heartrate Monitoring Device
Read more about the winning innovation.
Current technologies (ultrasound Dopplers) come with considerable risk for misinterpretation of maternal and fetal heart rate sounds and can only be used while stationary and supine. The development and testing of a maternal and fetal heart monitor that can be worn by pregnant women during movement and can accurately distinguish maternal and fetal hear rates is underway by our team of engineers and exercise scientists. The monitor is novel in that it can be worn while the pregnant woman is upright and active, it mitigates the risk of misinterpretation of maternal vs. fetal sounds and it will produce data that can be viewed in real-time in a patient-facing app with an alert system for out-of-range values. Read more about her innovations.
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.
There is currently a gap and scarcity in technology solutions towards addressing the challenge of vetting the online pet-health info contents, as well as a lack of a curated database, that contains a list of reliable online resources (websites and/or chatbots) associated with pet-healthcare services, including a trusted network of pet-healthcare service providers. Additionally, there are hardly any resources that can serve the pet-health info content providers in terms of how they can get certified for building credibility and earning consumer trust amidst the presence of unverified pet-health info sources & contents.
This project aims to build a novel AI chatbot - PawCounsel, that will act as a first-of-its kind pet-health info content validator for consumers (such as pet owners) and as a curated library of information for providers (such as such veterinary services). We will develop a novel database of reliable online resources for pet-healthcare services, comprising of a trustworthy network of pet-healthcare service providers), which will be used to train PawCounsel, so that it can serve pet owners as a counsel for resource recommendations. Our developed database will be utilized by PawCounsel to vet pet-health info contents as a service to benefit online info seekers/users. Additionally, PawCounsel will serve as curator for pet-health info content providers by sharing insights on the available avenues/options of accreditation for establishing trustworthy reputation. This project is an offshoot of an NSF I-Corps customer project work in which 120 health-info consumers were interviewed about the need of a trustworthy vetting service for online health information users were interviewed about the need of a trustworthy vetting service for online health information.
Dr. Margaret Ndinguri
Institution: Eastern Kentucky University
Collaborators: Dr. Lindsay Cormier
LHRH Anti-Cancer Targeting Complex
Read more about the winning innovation.
Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest gynecological cancers, with a five-year survival rate under 45%. Despite existing treatments, many patients relapse, develop chemoresistance and suffer severe side effects. With only 20,000 diagnoses annually, ovarian cancer receives limited attention from pharmaceutical developers.
Our newly synthesized compound offers greater selectivity and efficacy against ovarian cancer compared to traditional platinum-based chemotherapies. The compound specifically targets overexpressed LHRH receptors on ovarian cancer cells. These receptors are less prevalent in normal cells, making LHRH an ideal candidate for targeted therapy. We aim to: 1) Investigate the efficacy and mechanism of compound-induced cytotoxicity in ovarian cancer cells and 2) Evaluate its potential in treating cisplatin-resistant ovarian cancer cells and preventing further drug resistance. The goal is to develop a highly potent, selective chemotherapeutic agent that not only improves survival rates but also reduces side effects for patients. This research will contribute to more effective treatments and foster sustainable research programs at EKU, enhancing the broader research environment.
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.
The Huggie is a small 3D printed vessel containing any kind of plant seed, from wild flowers to garden plants. The Huggie is printed using a filament that encapsulates the seeds. When planted and watered, the 3D-printed material starts to degrade while offering a nutrition source and protection for the germination of the seeds within. The Huggie’s internal structure can also be optimized to support seed outward growth. The container has been shown to increase growth rates by as much as 20% in other applications.
Dr. Quingzhou Xu
Institution: Morehead State University
Recycling the Cathode Materials of Spent Lithium-Ion Batteries
Read more about the winning innovation.
The wide use of lithium-ion batteries generates a large number of end-of-life batteries. Currently, there are no proved strategies and established infrastructures in the United States for effectively recycling or safely disposing of spent Li-ion batteries. This proposal is to investigate a new direct recycling approach, which is potentially able to recycle Li-ion batteries in a cost/energy-efficient way. There are various types of cathodes for lithium-ion batteries and, this project initially focuses on recovering the high-value metals from the most commonly-used Li(NiMnCo)O2 type. The objective of this project is to decrease the United States’ dependence on foreign raw material supply, strengthen its long-term energy security and protect the environment.
Dr. Cheng Cheng
Institution: 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.
The precise identification of protein biomarkers has numerous applications in pharmacology, medical science and diagnostics. Quantitative measurement of the biomarkers in bodily fluids, including serum, sweat, saliva, etc. is required in the diagnosis of diseases, identification of physiological dysfunction and tracking of disease progression. Among the numerous available detection strategies, electrical detection holds numerous benefits over existing strategies for point-of-care (POC) specific protein detection due to its low cost, portability and compactness. A low cost and portable biomedical sensing platform capable of detecting protein biomarkers quantitatively and sensitively would be invaluable in disease outbreak prevention and management. In this work, a sensing method is used to produce a true proof-of-concept device and platform which has very promising performance on rapid and sensitive detection of specific protein biomarkers from complex samples.
Dr. Seyed Allameh
Institution: Northern Kentucky University
Modular and Autonomous Standing "Pod" for Urban Transportation
Read more about the winning innovation.
Imagine a modular and autonomous standing "pod" or "tram" designed to revolutionize urban transportation. This smart platform is equipped with advanced intelligent systems for sensing, communication, actuation and decision-making. It can dynamically respond to passenger behavior, traffic conditions and seamlessly coordinate with other units using AI-based self-organization principles. This innovative transport platform aims to enhance mobility, safety and efficiency in various settings, paving the way for smarter and more sustainable urban transportation.
Janet Harrah
Institution: Northern Kentucky University
Empowering Communities Through Data: A Literacy Initiative for Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs
Read more about the winning innovation.
This project delivers a free, modular Data Literacy Workshop Series to help small business owners, entrepreneurs and professionals in Kentucky use public data for business growth and community development. Sessions will focus on real-world application of economic, workforce, census and health/science data. Alongside live and virtual workshops, we’ll produce durable content—such as a website/app, on-demand videos and turnkey learning modules—designed for replication by libraries, incubators and other economic development partners. By demystifying public data tools, the program builds a more informed, confident and resilient small business community. We aim to reach 60–100 participants in year one, with scale potential through Kentucky’s public libraries and Small Business Development Centers. Evaluation, documentation and integration with professional development programs will support long-term growth and sustainability.
If you'd like to learn more about these innovators or their technologies, please reach out to KCV@kstc.com.