Texas’ next era of economic growth may depend as much on water as it does on energy, technology or capital. That reality was at the center of the Water Nexus Conference, hosted by the Rice WaTER Institute at Rice University, where more than 120 utility leaders, researchers, government officials, entrepreneurs, corporate water teams, engineers and investors gathered to examine how the state can meet rising demand while confronting water scarcity, aging infrastructure and rapidly changing industrial needs.

Promising battery materials often work in tiny lab cells but falter when made larger. ORNL’s STAR Lab studies what goes wrong during scale-up, using advanced manufacturing, imaging, modeling and testing to build safer, higher-performing batteries.

A program at Golisano Children’s at UK is using genetic testing to uncover inherited cancer risk in children and young adults. By identifying genetic changes linked to cancer, providers can develop personalized care plans, guide family testing and help patients make informed decisions about their future health.

Dual Complementary Four-Switch Three-Phase Inverters is an advanced power electronics technology that improves the efficiency, compactness, and cost-effectiveness of three-phase power conversion systems. The design uses two parallel four-switch inverters operating with a 180-degree phase shift and shared input capacitors, reducing current ripple and lowering capacitance requirements compared with conventional six-switch inverter architectures. These improvements enable smaller components, higher power density, enhanced reliability, and easier thermal management while maintaining high performance. Potential applications include renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, motor drives, and energy storage platforms. The technology is protected by a provisional patent application, is at TRL 2, and is available for licensing.

The High-Density Neurostimulation System developed at the University at Buffalo is a scalable neurostimulation platform that uses clusters of high-density electrodes to precisely control the direction, depth, and shape of electrical stimulation. Unlike conventional surface neurostimulation systems that deliver broad, non-specific stimulation, this technology enables programmable electrode configurations and real-time stimulation vectoring, allowing targeted activation of smaller muscles and neural pathways. Its distributed hardware architecture can control hundreds to thousands of electrodes while minimizing wiring requirements, making it suitable for wearable and miniaturized devices. Potential applications include neurorehabilitation, neuromodulation, neuromuscular stimulation, neural sensing, electrophysiology, and human-machine interfaces. The technology is protected by U.S. Provisional Patent Application. is at TRL 3-4, and is available for licensing or collaboration.

Methods for Low-Overhead, Fault-Tolerant CNOT Operations is a quantum computing technology developed at the University at Buffalo that improves the efficiency of fault-tolerant operations between non-nearest neighboring logical qubits in distributed quantum computing systems. The method enables logical CNOT operations using only a single entangled Bell pair, significantly reducing resource requirements, space overhead, and the number of physical quantum operations needed compared with conventional approaches. Compatible with a broad range of CSS quantum error-correcting codes, the technology offers a scalable path toward more practical and reliable quantum computing architectures. The technology is protected by a U.S. Provisional Patent Application and is currently at TRL 3, with licensing and collaboration opportunities available.

Ultra Defect-Free Germanium Photodiode in SOI Substrates is a semiconductor fabrication technology that enables the production of ultra-thin germanium photodiodes on silicon-on-insulator (SOI) substrates with significantly reduced lattice-mismatch defects. By refining substrate preparation and epitaxial growth processes, the technology creates high-quality germanium layers that improve carrier mobility, reduce electronic noise, and enhance photodiode sensitivity and reliability. These advances support compact, high-performance photonic devices for optical communications, sensing, and integrated photonic circuits. The patent-pending technology has reached TRL 6 and is available for licensing.

Method for Fabricating Thick Silicon Nitride Waveguides is a photonics manufacturing technology that enables the production of thick, ultra-low-loss silicon nitride (SiN) waveguides through a multi-layer deposition, patterning, and thermal treatment process. By sequentially building waveguide structures in thin layers, the method reduces film stress, improves material quality, and provides precise control over waveguide thickness and sidewall geometry. These improvements support higher device density, enhanced reliability, and superior optical performance for applications in non-linear optics, quantum photonics, precision timing, and integrated photonic circuits. The technology is compatible with existing semiconductor fabrication infrastructure, supporting scalable manufacturing. The U.S. patent-pending technology has reached TRL 6 and is available for licensing.

Novel Small Molecule Anabolic Agents for Osteoporosis are synthetic compounds derived from ferutinin, a naturally occurring phytoestrogen, that are being developed to address a major unmet need in osteoporosis treatment. Unlike many existing therapies that primarily slow bone loss, these analogs are designed to both inhibit bone resorption and promote new bone formation. The compounds aim to improve safety, specificity, and effectiveness while potentially enabling oral administration, which could enhance patient adherence compared with injectable anabolic therapies. Potential applications include osteoporosis treatment and hormone-related health conditions affecting peri- and post-menopausal women. The patent-pending technology is currently at the in vitro stage and is available for licensing or collaboration.

Aluminum Nitride, Alumina (Sapphire), and Thick Silicon Nitride Integration into the SUNYRF Quantum Platform is a quantum photonics technology that combines complementary photonic materials into a single integrated platform to support advanced optical devices operating across visible and infrared wavelengths. By incorporating thick silicon nitride, alumina, and aluminum nitride, the platform improves optical confinement, enables enhanced electro-optic and non-linear photonic performance, and supports scalable fabrication of specialized quantum devices. Potential applications include quantum computing, quantum communications, advanced sensing, and integrated photonic circuits. The patent-pending technology has reached TRL 6 and is available for licensing.