Welcome back to another edition of Park Points. Get a quick recap of news, information and events relevant to the mission and vision of KU Innovation Park.
Getting defensive: Why cybersecurity is more important than ever
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and it’s never too late to beef up your company’s cyber reinforcements.
Why it matters: According to IBM, the global average cost of a data breach was $4.45 million in 2023. That’s a 15% increase over the previous three years.
- Jason Rogers, the CEO of Park company Invary, recently published a blog on breaking the cycle of cybersecurity breaches.
- “Why is all of this still happening, especially given the sophisticated and innovative cybersecurity products on the market today?” Jason writes. “We almost always approach security reactively. This is where Invary comes in. We flip the script.”
Check out Invary’s free tool, the Runtime Integrity Score, to determine the integrity of your Linux operating system.
Through the Valley of Death: KU News spotlights initiative to get research to market
Translating research from a lab to the marketplace is a complex process. STARTUP Central, a new grant-funded initiative based at KU, with the help of KU Innovation Park, is hoping to make the process more manageable.
Why it matters: The biomedical industry contributed over $69 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product in 2022.
- “The STARTUP Central program will help bridge the gap between groundbreaking discoveries and real-world solutions,” said Adam Courtney, co-principal investigator of the initiative and interim CEO of KU Innovation Park. “It’s a catalyst for innovation. By providing tools to faculty and research staff, the program can foster both health advancements and transformative economic opportunities.”
Read the full article from KU News Service here.
Quick Links
- A team led by Ramesh Balusu, Ph.D. at the University of Kansas Medical Center recently received a $50,000 grant from BioNexus KC to develop targeted therapies for fusion-driven cancers.
- Christopher C. Cushing, Ph.D., associate professor at the Life Span Institute and KU, was featured in BioNexus KC’s Expert Exchange. He explained how he uses health technology to understand, improve and influence the behavior of teenagers.
What we’re reading:
- KCInno: Startup grants you can apply for right now
- State Science & Technology Institute: Useful Stats: BERD expenditures jump 12%, topping $600 billion in 2021
- TechCrunch: California passes law mandating VC firms to release investments’ diversity information
Upcoming events:
- Monday, October 23, 7:30 – 9 a.m.: The Uplift Coffee Truck will be back at the Park! Then, they’ll be back every first and third Tuesday of the month for your caffeine and pastry fix. You can preorder hot food by the Saturday before their arrival here.
- November 15: KU Center for Public Partnerships & Research is hosting a civic imagination workshop titled Alternative Futures for Kansas. Register here.
Have news and notes to share? Let Lindsey Slater, vice president of strategic communications, know by clicking here.