UNeMed, the tech transfer organization for the University of Nebraska Medical Center and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, hit new milestones with supporting university innovation in its 2024-2025 fiscal year, which ended June 30.

In that period, researchers had new highs of 127 new inventions and 118 new inventors, according to UNeMed’s recently released 2025 annual report. UNeMed filed for 145 patent applications, with 57 issued, including 33 U.S. patents — another new record. 

That helps rank Nebraska 82nd in the world for U.S. patents and 49th when compared to only U.S.-based institutions. That’s according to an annual report from the National Academy of Inventors and Intellectual Property Owners Association.

“Despite the many headwinds facing biomedical research and commercialization, the past year has been one of remarkable progress for UNeMed as we continue to build the infrastructure and networks that will support sustained growth and enable more discoveries to reach the marketplace,” UNeMed CEO Michael Dixon wrote in the annual report.

In FY 2025, UNeMed supported 35 products on the market and one new startup. It had a revenue of roughly half a million dollars, of which almost a third came from industry- sponsored research.

With federal research funding uncertainty, and, as a result, a more explicit push for industry support at the University of Nebraska System, UNeMed may see more industry-sponsored research in the 2026 fiscal year.

The 2025 annual report celebrated the opening of the Catalyst building, part of a three-phase development of the new EDGE district around UNMC to boost research and innovation. 

While still filling out with tenants, “the $97 million cross-functional building is about 170,000 square feet that will house a combination of research scientists, healthcare professionals, entrepreneurs and investor groups,” the report said.

Startups celebrated by the annual report include:

• Virtual Incision, which received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration earlier this year for its mini surgical robot.
• University Medical Devices, whose first product, the cleaner and safer nasal swab-alternative called MicroWash, is available nationwide.
• RespirAI, the Israeli-American startup with international funding that builds on years of Nebraska research to detect early signs of flare-ups for dangerous lung diseases like COPD. 
• Automated Assessments, which also received FDA approval for a handheld frailty assessment tool to determine potential surgery risks for patients.

“These achievements are the result of strong collaboration among faculty innovators, startup founders, investors, and partners across the university and the broader Nebraska ecosystem,” Dixon wrote. “Together, we are building momentum and positioning Nebraska as a growing hub for biomedical and health technology innovation.”

Lev Gringauz is a Report for America corps member who writes about corporate innovation and workforce development for Silicon Prairie News.