Innovation Ambassador: Harsh Bais

Editor's note: The University of Delaware is diligently working to enhance infrastructure and support available to campus innovators. As part of this effort, the U.S. National Science Foundation's Accelerating Research Translation program (NSF ART program) at UD is investing in capacity-building resources to boost the translation of UD research discoveries into novel technologies of benefit to Delawareans and the nation. UD is an inaugural member of the NSF ART program.

Harsh Bais, professor of plant and soil sciences at the University of Delaware, and a colleague were looking for safe and effective tools to help agricultural growers when they discovered a unique strain of natural, beneficial bacteria, bacillus subtilus, living in the soil and on plant roots. Fundamental research revealed that the microorganism could boost plant defenses against soil-borne diseases, helping plants to flourish.

Bais patented the discovery and, with the help of technology transfer specialists in UD's Office of Economic Innovation and Partnerships (OEIP), licensed the technology to the global company BASF. Today, the UD-developed beneficial bacterium, known as UD1022, is used across the U.S. and Canada in BASF formulations to protect pea and lentil seedlings, maximizing crop yields.

Since then, that foundational work has led to other patented applications for improving moisture retention in plants, disarming fungal pathogens that affect turf grass, and even improving the ability to grow plants in space.

Earlier this year, Bais was named an Innovation Ambassador at UD, as part of the University's effort to help other inventors and entrepreneurs find the onramp to the innovation highway. It's a post that allows Bais to share his experience and support others who are pursuing their own research translation journey. In the following UDaily Q&A, Bais shares a glimpse of what he's learned about moving discoveries from the lab to the world.