SUNY TAF supports UB research on semiconductors, circadian disorders

BUFFALO, N.Y. – State University of New York Chancellor John B. King Jr. announced Monday the latest round of seed funding through the Technology Accelerator Fund (TAF), which provides grants to faculty inventors and scientists.

Grants totaling $400,000 will support groundbreaking research at five campuses, including UB.

The SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund helps support critical research — such as feasibility studies, prototyping and testing — that demonstrates that an idea or innovation has commercial potential. The goal is to accelerate time to market for these innovations and increase their market readiness for potential investors, strategic partners, and customers.

The Technology Accelerator Fund Class of 2026 funding recipients include, from UB:

• Uttam Singisetti, Clifford C. Furnas Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Singisetti's project is titled “Gallium Oxide Semiconductor Transistors for Electric Vehicle and AI Power.” He is director of UB’s Center for Advanced Semiconductor Technologies.
  
  The growing use of electric vehicles and data center boom is increasing the demand for technology that can deliver electricity more efficiently. Singisetti is developing a new type of high-power electronic device that can reduce wasted energy, improve performance, and lower costs.

• Margarita L. Dubocovich, SUNY Distinguished Professor in the Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences. Dubocovich’s project is called “First In-Class Therapy for Advanced Phase Circadian Disorders.”
  
  Circadian rhythm disorders arise when the body’s internal biological clock does not match their daily schedule or environment, increasing risk for sleep disruption, cardiovascular disease, depression, cancer, and chronic pain. Dubocovich is working to treat advanced sleep disorders with an orally administered therapeutic that realigns the underlying biological clock mechanism and restores healthy rhythms.

“The selection of two UB researchers for the Technology Accelerator Fund grants highlights the strength of our innovation ecosystem and our leadership in both semiconductor research and the life sciences,” says UB President Caroline Attardo Genco.

“Whether advancing more efficient power technologies for emerging applications or developing innovations that improve human health, our faculty are transforming research discoveries into solutions that enhance lives, drive economic growth, and create meaningful real-world impact.”

The SUNY Technology Accelerator Fund awards grants through a highly competitive process that weighs several factors, including the availability of intellectual property protection, marketability, commercial potential, feasibility, and breadth of impact.

Since the launch of the fund in 2011, SUNY has invested more than $5.1 million in the program to successfully advance the commercial readiness of 99 innovations born at SUNY campuses. The program has catalyzed follow-on investment of an additional $41 million from development partners, including government agencies, industry licensees, and early-stage investors.