Yatin Karpe, Ph.D., assistant vice president of Innovation, Commercialization, and Engagement at Texas State University, has been selected as a recipient of the 2026 VentureWell Institutional Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Award. The national award recognizes higher education leaders who are advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and research commercialization on their campuses.
Karpe is one of five recipients nationwide to receive the award, which includes a grant to expand innovation and entrepreneurship initiatives that support students, faculty, and research translation efforts.
The recognition follows Karpe’s participation in a national pilot program supporting the development of VentureWell’s Science and Tech Innovation Inventory, a tool designed to evaluate institutional innovation and entrepreneurship capacity across six key ecosystem areas. Karpe, along with TXST colleagues, was among 77 higher education leaders representing 64 academic institutions selected to help shape the framework, which provides universities with a roadmap for strengthening STEM innovation programs, curricula, and policies.
As a leader in TXST’s research commercialization and innovation ecosystem, Karpe has played a key role in connecting faculty researchers, student innovators, and industry partners to resources that help transform discoveries into real-world solutions. Following a competitive review process, VentureWell selected five award recipients based on their demonstrated ability to advance innovation, entrepreneurship, and research translation at their institutions.
“This award recognizes the collaborative efforts of faculty, students, researchers, and industry partners who are helping build a culture of innovation at Texas State,” Karpe said. “The funding will help us continue creating pathways that move discoveries from the laboratory into the marketplace while providing meaningful entrepreneurial experiences for our students.”
The recognition comes as TXST continues to expand opportunities for innovators through strategic partnerships and experiential learning programs. Recent collaborations led by Karpe and the Office of Innovation, Commercialization and Engagement have increased access to mentorship, funding, industry expertise, and commercialization resources for faculty and student innovators.
“This recognition highlights Texas State's leadership in advancing innovation, entrepreneurship, and research impact at Texas State,” said Shreek Mandayam, Ph.D., Vice President for Research at TXST.
Karpe’s team has expanded opportunities for TXST innovators through new collaborations with universities and industry-focused programs. A pilot partnership with the Texas Health Catalyst program at the University of Texas at Austin provided mentorship and commercialization support to TXST faculty teams, including a finalist team led by Dave Thompson, Ph.D. The team also partnered with TXST’s Translational Health Research Center and Nucleate Texas to connect faculty, students, and researchers with investors, entrepreneurs, and resources to advance breakthrough technologies.
The award builds further momentum behind BobCatalyst, TXST’s innovation accelerator initiative that connects researchers and entrepreneurs with training, mentorship, prototype funding, and commercialization resources to help transform discoveries into startups, products, and societal impact.
Funding from the award will support continued growth of TXST’s innovation and entrepreneurship programs, creating new opportunities for faculty, staff, students, and alumni to engage in commercialization, venture creation, and innovation-focused education. VentureWell awards may be used to support initiatives such as expanding academic programs, hosting innovation-focused events, supporting student ventures, and accelerating commercialization activities.
"The Office of Innovation, Commercialization and Engagement continues to create valuable opportunities for students and faculty to turn ideas into real-world solutions,” said Pranesh Aswath, Ph.D., Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at TXST.
Through the Office of Innovation, Commercialization and Engagement, TXST supports technology transfer, industry partnerships, startup development, and research commercialization initiatives that strengthen economic development across Texas and beyond.