Latest Updates

• OORI Unlocks Microsoft for Startups Resources for USC EntrepreneursMarch 27, 2026
  Author – Ethan Bochicchio Through its expanding network of external collaborators, the Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) has enabled USC founders to access Microsoft for Startups resources by joining the Microsoft for Startups Investor Network. This engagement offers benefits to Trojan entrepreneurs, including cloud credits, go-to-market support, and AI tools. By building these partnerships,…
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• AMI Makes Exciting Investment in Innata BioMarch 26, 2026
  By – Ethan Bochicchio & Jordan Locy Innata Bio is an inflammation-modulation platform company at the clinical stage, focused on developing advanced treatments to address aging-related inflammation. Co-founded by USCS’s Dr. Denis Evseenko, Innata Bio has identified a key link between inflammation and cellular aging and has created a patented platform to reverse this process.…
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• USC/OORI Funded App Corresi Shows Promising SuccessMarch 26, 2026
  Author – Ethan Bochicchio At the University of Southern California (USC), the Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) is turning early-stage ideas into real-world impact, as demonstrated by the success of Corresi. Starting in 2024 through the OORI-funded Innovation Empowerment Initiative, a part of OORI’s Innovation Catalyst Program, Corresi quickly developed into a launched app…
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• USC OORI Helps 12 Innovators Earn National Academy of Inventors Senior MembershipMarch 3, 2026
  Author – Ethan Bochicchio The Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) successfully assisted 12 University of Southern California faculty members in being selected as Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), the prestigious nonprofit organization dedicated to encouraging inventors in academia. This recognition celebrates academic inventors whose patented work has made measurable contributions to society…
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• USC and Techstars Celebrate a Powerful University Catalyst Cohort GraduationJanuary 23, 2026
  Author – Ethan Bochicchio Another successful USC and Techstars University Catalyst Program has come to a close, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of USC’s innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem. Over ten weeks, the program transformed early-stage ideas into more disciplined, market-ready ventures, while giving founders a clearer understanding of what it takes to build…
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• OORI-Supported Effort + USC Faculty-Led Company Forges New Partnership with NASA  January 23, 2026
  Author – Ethan Bochicchio The University of Southern California’s (USC) Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) is thrilled to announce that Arkisys Inc., a company founded and led by USC Professor David Barnhart, has been selected as the maintenance and commercial sustaining partner for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Astrobee, the free-flying robotic…
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• From Lab to Market: OORI Unveils Unified Funding Pipeline for Research and InnovationDecember 15, 2025
  Author: Jordan Locy and Ethan Bochicchio The University of Southern California’s Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) is amplifying its focus on groundbreaking discovery and commercial translation by launching a broader range of internal funding opportunities. Through the Research Catalyst Program (RCP) and the Innovation Catalyst Program (ICP), OORI has combined previous initiatives to maximize…
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• Post-Award Success for USC Student Empowerment Award Team in Schaeffer CenterNovember 17, 2025
  Author—Ethan Bochicchio Last year, the Office of Research and Innovation (OORI) at the University of Southern California (USC) saw its first class of Student Empowerment Award recipients. The OORI’s Student Empowerment Award seeks to support undergraduate and graduate students, as well as their faculty mentors, in engaging in groundbreaking research and early-stage entrepreneurship that results…
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• USC AMI Makes Exciting Investment in USC Faculty-Led Company, CpG DiagnosticsOctober 27, 2025
  Author: Jordan Locy, Ethan Bochicchio & Aaron K. Nordman In September 2020, Dr. Bodour Salhia founded CpG Diagnostics, intent on transforming cancer diagnostics through innovative epigenetic technology. High-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC), the most aggressive subtype of epithelial ovarian cancer, requires timely specialist management. Utilizing the patented OvaPrint, the only cell-free DNA methylation blood test…
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• USC AMI Makes Exciting Investment in USC Faculty-Led Company, PlurocartOctober 6, 2025
  Author: Jordan Locy & Ethan Bochicchio In late 2021, researchers Denis Evseenko and Frank Petrigliano were awarded a $6 million grant from the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine for their breakthrough, having used a stem cell-based bio-implant to delay joint degeneration and repair cartilage in a large animal model. Today, joined by Jay R. Lieberman,…
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