2026 Faculty Innovator Award
Sponsored by OSU Advantage
The Faculty Innovator Award honors an outstanding inventor from Oregon State University who has made a contribution leading to commercialization that significantly impacts their field. The award is given based on the criteria of creativity, novelty, and the commercial benefit to society.
Nomination Process & Criteria
The award is open to any current OSU faculty, emeritus, or retired faculty who has submitted an invention disclosure through the Advantage Office (formerly the Office for Commercialization and Corporate Development) and who are actively engaged with commercializing an OSU innovation at the time of nomination. The nominee must be a primary inventor or creator of an OSU invention disclosure for which a significant research effort conducted at OSU contributed to the advancement of knowledge in the field.
Nominations may be submitted by anyone from the OSU community who is knowledgeable about a successful OSU Inventor. Self-nominations are also encouraged.
Submission Instructions
Nomination material should include a completed Nomination Award Application and a statement explaining why the nominee should be considered for the OSU Faculty Innovator Award. You may include, but are not limited to, a brief background of the inventor, a description of the invention, status of the intellectual property and licensing, and the impact and value the invention has made to the field and society. Please do not exceed 750 words.
OPTIONAL: No more than three (3) pages of other materials supporting the candidate’s achievements, such as professional and/or press articles.
Key Dates
Nominations Open: Monday, March 9, 2026.
Application Deadline: Friday, April 17, 2026, 11:59 p.m. PST.
Selection of the Award Recipient: Friday, June 5, 2026.
Awards Ceremony: University Day: Tuesday, September 15, 2026.
Questions: Please contact Lynn Nappi
Award
Awardee: $5,000 and a glass desktop recognition trophy.
Selection Criteria
An internal University review team will recommend the top three candidates for consideration. The team will review all nominations and deliberate who has shown outstanding commitment in developing a groundbreaking invention and is activity pursuing its use in society. The final selection will be made by the OSU Advantage leadership team and will be based on the following criteria:
- The nominee’s invention has the potential to significantly impact*, and brought value, to their field, society, and the economy;
- The nominee’s performance, creativity, collaborative engagement, deliberate effort, and commitment demonstrated throughout the invention and commercialization process;
- The invention’s potential for further development and commercialization/adoption.
*Level of impact can be measured in a number of ways. Examples can include: number of people impacted or expected to be impacted; nice-to-have through life saving; economic: investment received, sales, # of jobs.
Award and Notification
The selection of the Faculty Innovator Award recipient will be notified June 5, 2026. The awardee will receive a $5,000 cash award in addition to a glass desktop recognition trophy to be presented during OSU's University Day, September 15, 2026.
