Carilion Innovation
Carilion physicians, nurses and staff make unique discoveries through their research, and continuous improvements to the care they provide our communities. Some of these discoveries are innovations with commercial potential. First and foremost, they can benefit patients in our community. ...
For Inventors and Entrepreneurs
When To Engage With Carilion Innovation
- You have an invention you believe has commercial potential.
- Industry would like to license your invention/intellectual property (IP).
- Industry would like you to create or co-create a new product or service that they will then bring to market.
Commercial Invention is broadly defined. It can be an idea not reduced to practice, or a need within health care not addressed in the market that you believe can have a more considerable commercial potential.
Common types of inventions developed within health care include:
- Health information technologies
- Medical devices
- Educational content
- Clinical decision trees and protocols
- Diagnostics
- Therapeutics
- Business model and system innovations
Capabilities and Resources for Our Innovators
Invention Development Support
- Assisting development of inventions
- Connecting innovators to resources for further development (e.g., engineers, 3D printers, local universities like Virginia Tech, accelerators) and external funding opportunities.
- Proof of concept program (POCP): funds and project management for high-potential inventions
- Advice for inventors and funding for high-potential but nascent inventions.
- POCP, a project-based process leveraging Lean Startup, Agile Methodologies, and Human Centered Design, to validate or invalidate an invention via a time-bound build-measure-learn sprint.
- To see if your invention qualifies, please disclose it; funding for an invention ranges from $5,000 to $50,000.
Commercial Opportunities and Deal Management
- Intellectual property strategy and execution (e.g., patent protection and filing)
- Go-to-market planning and preparation for inventions.
- Advice about reaching a deal, negotiation and overall coordination with internal and external stakeholders.
- Examples of types of deals include out-licensing IP to industry, industry sponsoring IP development and industry collaboration.
For Industry Partners
Carilion Innovation is a resource to develop, protect, market and appropriately capture value generated from Carilion intellectual property (IP) and commercial innovations.
We work with industry partners interested in licensing Carilion’s IP or collaborating with Carilion researchers and inventors to co-create novel products and processes with the goal of commercialization.
Our team supports entrepreneurship by investing resources in Carilion-based startup spinoff companies for mature technologies. Carilion Innovation encourages and advances industry partnerships with our startups as well.
If you are interested in partnering or licensing Carilion technology or IP, please contact us at innovation@carilionclinic.org.
Our Team
Aileen Helsel, Ph.D.
Director
Dr. Aileen Helsel directs Carilion Innovation, established in 2019. In the interim director role since April 1, 2022, Dr. Helsel leads the health system's efforts to develop and license Carilion inventions and grow the region's entrepreneurial ecosystem. She is also furthering Carilion's decade-plus partnerships with the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC and Virginia Tech's main campus in Blacksburg.
Dr. Helsel helps guide inventors through the entire commercialization process, from advising during intake and assessment to developing an intellectual property (IP) strategy and determining the best path to the market. Dr. Helsel is proud to serve Carilion’s mission by helping employees improve patient care through innovative solutions.
Dr. Helsel has a strong background in biomedical research. After spending years at the bench, she switched gears and took a position as a licensing associate for Washington State University (WSU), where she managed the life sciences IP portfolio. Her WSU portfolio consisted of diverse technologies, including gene therapies, veterinary diagnostics and therapeutics. As licensing manager at Carilion, Dr. Helsel’s keen ability to find creative solutions supports inventors in breaking through barriers standing between innovative ideas, implementation and bringing them to market.
Dr. Helsel received her Ph.D. in molecular bioscience from WSU, focusing on reproductive biology and stem cell biology, and her B.S. in molecular biology and biochemistry from the University of Idaho.
Ryan King, PhD
Innovation Manager
Adam Goode, MD
Clinical Liaison, General Surgery Resident PGY4
Rob Fippinger, BS
Innovation Engineer
Connor Hale, BS
Innovation Engineer
Jess Edwards, BA
Special Projects Manager
Our Resources
For Carilion Innovators, please visit the Innovation hub on InsideCarilion.org to access the Intellectual Property Policy and the Invention Disclosure Form.
For external parties, please contact innovation@carilionclinic.org for assistance and information.
Contact
Aileen Helsel, PhD
Director of Innovation
Carilion Clinic
213 S. Jefferson St.
Roanoke, VA 24011
Frequently Asked Questions
I have an invention. What should I do?
Please contact innovation@carilionclinic.org.
What is intellectual property?
“Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind, such as inventions; literary and artistic works; designs; and symbols, names and images used in commerce.” – World Intellectual Property Organization
There are many types of IP, including copyrights, patents, know-how and others.
What is the IP policy and revenue share at Carilion?
Please view the IP policy on Inside Carilion. Suppose your invention is under the IP policy. In that case, it may qualify for Carilion Innovation capabilities and resources (e.g., POCP funding). Please see the IP policy for revenue share specifics. Nationally, Carilion offers one of the highest revenue shares to the inventor compared to other health systems.
How does Carilion handle inventions developed jointly with another institution?
Given Carilion’s location in Roanoke’s Innovation Corridor, our innovators find themselves specially positioned to work with other thought-leaders. For jointly created inventions, Carilion Innovation works with the partner institutions’ offices managing innovation/IP transfer to determine who is taking the lead in marketing, protecting and commercializing the invention. Additionally, we ensure an equitable revenue split based on each institution’s respective contributions to inventions.
