SpinOut U | Five Connected Stages — UT Knoxville Demonstration

00Where the invention starts

How UTRF presents this invention today

Verified public source

Start with what UTRF publicly discloses: the scientific problem, technology, estimated benefits, inventors, patent status and licensing contact. This is the technology-facing view; it is not yet a buyer-specific commercial opportunity.

Current public listing / deliverableTechnology profile with invention description and licensing contact

UTRFPublic technology profile · as retrieved November 2026

UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE RESEARCH FOUNDATION

Thermoelectric-Base Heat Exchanging Technology for Fluid Foods and Beverage Pasteurization (TESS)

Reference 24008Patent pendingUT Knoxville / UTIA Food Science

The problem

Conventional HTST pasteurization involves thermal utilities, piping, valves and pumps; the listing emphasizes complexity and fuel use.

The solution

A thermoelectric heating design intended to simplify the equipment arrangement and potentially reduce energy and maintenance demands.

Listed benefits

Estimated 20% energy-efficiency improvement compared with HTST; simplified equipment and an estimated greenhouse-gas reduction opportunity.

Innovators / contact

Jiajia Chen and Mark Morgan · Food Science, UT Knoxville/UTIA. UTRF technology manager: Tyler Newton.

Read the actual UTRF technology page ↗

THE STARTING POINT

The same invention can support very different commercial possibilities.

The originating record tells us what was invented. SpinOut U changes the viewpoint to ask who might need it, what they would use it for, and what would make it worth paying for. The invention and UTRF's rights remain unchanged.

01Universal discovery

Perspective translation: the first commercial opportunity

Public hypothesis

One available invention can look completely different to an inventor, a plant operator, an equipment manufacturer or a founder. SpinOut U systematically translates the same disclosed science into multiple possible product and buyer perspectives—then makes those possibilities discoverable.

Discover / deliverableUniversity-branded commercial starting case

Why this is useful at UTRF

One publicly disclosed invention can become a shared starting case for UTRF licensing outreach, inventor discussions, UT classes and capstones, and qualified industry inquiries. Discovery makes a perspective available; commissioned engineering determines which commercial option deserves a deeper investment.

How discovery is offered

A public SpinOut U starting case is open to explore and can be reused for TTO outreach, inventor discussions, campus classes and incoming industry interest. Public availability is not a promise of unlimited custom analysis. An institution can separately commission a prioritized, branded portfolio discovery program; deeper inventor-led engineering begins with an agreed project.

THE PERSPECTIVE PRINCIPLE

One technology. Different people see different possibilities.

UTRF describes how thermoelectric heat exchange could change pasteurization. A processor may see lower maintenance or a new operating burden. An OEM may see an ingredient for its next product. A student team may see a bounded design assignment. The useful opportunity emerges by testing those perspectives—not assuming there is one predetermined startup.

Inventor / UTRFWhat can this technology do?Mechanism, evidence, rights and limits

Processor / buyerWill it improve my plant's economics?Reliability, sanitation, cost per volume and purchase criteria

Equipment OEMCould this be a better product component?Interfaces, warranties, differentiation and integration cost

Campus builderWhich questions can we actually solve?Customer discovery, design, tests and analysis

SPINOUT U · OPPORTUNITY DISCOVERY

Could thermoelectric heating change the economics of beverage pasteurization?

One UT invention becomes a market-facing starting business hypothesis—not a promise of a startup.

Origin: UTRF 24008
1 invention · public discovery

Possible productLower-complexity pasteurization equipment

A thermoelectric process ingredient could form an OEM heating module, a processing skid, or a specialized complete system.

Who might care?Process OEMs and dairy/beverage plants

OEMs sell integrated systems; plant engineers and operations leaders judge safety, service, downtime and whole-life cost.

What does this IP contribute?A different heating architecture

Thermoelectric heat delivery and simplified conventional hot/cold-water process components, per the UTRF listing.

What is still unknown?Safety, interfaces, demand and economics

Milk matrix and throughput, sanitation, energy baseline, capex, installation, buyer interest and commercialization route.

Inventors in the loopJiajia Chen + Mark Morgan review the technical interpretation and missing evidence after authorization.

Industry in the loopProspective operators and OEMs are asked about requirements, not represented as customers or partners.

THIS STARTING CASE CAN ALREADY BE USED BY

UTRF licensing collateralInventor discussionsIndustry outreachStudent discoveryCapstone & studio project briefsInbound inquiriesCampus competitions

These are possible uses of the same public starting case. Distribution or program adoption is never assumed.

Technology described for licensing

A clear business question that anyone can investigate

This public discovery step is applicable to other publicly disclosed IP. It is intentionally bounded: the opportunity has not yet been engineered into a decision-ready commercial plan.

REMEMBER · 01 DISCOVER

Perspective translation is universal.

This first step can be applied to publicly disclosed IP, research findings, licensing offers and sponsor-ready R&D from any university or laboratory. It creates a credible starting hypothesis that campus programs can reuse. It does not yet claim commercial validation.

02Commissioned opportunity engineering

Engineer the business—not just the listing

Private illustrative engineering

This is the commissioned commercial investigation. SpinOut U breaks the invention into useful functions, maps the missing technology and operating requirements, explores additional IP and technical combinations, tests buyer and funding paths, and brings inventors into the review of what the science can actually support.

Engineer / deliverableRanked, decision-ready commercial Blueprint

SPINOUT U · DEEP COMMERCIAL ENGINEERING

One invention. Multiple possible products. A graph of constraints and missing ingredients.

Commissioned engineering does not start by deciding TESS is a startup. It builds the commercial decision from technical functions, customer requirements, alternative configurations, compatible interfaces and actual evidence.

CURRENT TESS STATUSSpinOut U has prepared evidence-linked hypotheses and preliminary capability connections. Inventor verification, technical compatibility, actual equipment quotes and sponsor interest are not established. This is a private demonstration, not a commissioned finding.

INVENTION INPUT

UTRF 24008Thermoelectric heat exchange

→

FUNCTIONAL COMPONENT

Heat / control fluidInputs · outputs · operating envelope

↔

PRODUCT REQUIREMENTS

Safety · hygiene · costMissing capabilities / interfaces

→

COMMERCIAL SYSTEM

OEM · retrofit · packagedBuyer / economics / rights / evidence

Solid: source-backed functionOutlined: research requirement / unverified complementEach relationship retains evidence and review status

CAPABILITY AND REQUIREMENT DECOMPOSITION

What we know, what the system needs, and what may need to be added

Ingredient or requirement	Why it matters	Evidence / open test
Source-backed inventionThermoelectric heating with reduced conventional hot/cold water and pumping complexity	UTRF public listing	Mechanism, boundaries and measured energy data need inventor review
Missing functionValidated temperature–time and pathogen lethality	Buyer safety requirement	Source listing does not demonstrate product-specific regulatory approval
Missing functionSanitary product-contact path, cleaning-in-place and fouling control	Plant operations requirement	Qualification and cleaning burden unknown
Missing functionRegenerative heat recovery and defensible incumbent baseline	Commercial competitiveness	Existing OEM systems can recover considerable heat; cross-technology claim needs direct comparison
Potential complementInstrumentation, automatic flow diversion, traceable quality data	Process-control product ingredient	Candidate functional class, not a confirmed external patent match
Potential complementModular controller, service design, supply/manufacture interface	System/OEM ingredient	Identify source IP, interface, cost and rights before adding
Market constraintPlant capacity, electric and gas tariffs, installation, capex, utilization	Economic buyer decision	Values not yet obtained

ONE IP · THREE POSSIBLE COMMERCIAL CASES

Choose the product architecture before choosing the company

THE BUYING SYSTEM

Who might actually buy, integrate, champion or reject it?

Industry names below are source-backed research targets or comparisons—not interested buyers. Decision-maker titles are functional roles to identify, not confirmed contacts.

GEA

Equipment OEM / integrator

People to find: Pasteurization product management; process engineering; corporate partnering

Why qualify: Assess whether thermoelectric module offers an improvement after existing heat recovery, sanitation and service.

Official product portfolio ↗No contact or endorsement

APV

Equipment OEM / integrator

People to find: Pasteurization equipment product lead; applications engineering; innovation center

Why qualify: Compare modular integration, thermal efficiency, controls and qualification overhead.

Official product portfolio ↗No contact or endorsement

Mayfield Dairy Farms

Dairy processor research account

People to find: Plant engineering; operations; capital procurement; quality assurance

Why qualify: Determine plant baseline, utility constraints and whether this process would solve a material problem.

Official company history ↗No contact or buying interest

Cruze Farm

Customer-discovery contrast

People to find: Owner/processing operations

Why qualify: Publicly states low-temperature-long-time pasteurization; understand why an HTST replacement may not fit.

Official processing philosophy ↗Contrast account, not a qualified HTST buyer

Important segmentation correctionCruze Farm states that it uses low-temperature/long-time pasteurization and explicitly favors that method. It may reveal why an HTST replacement is a poor fit for some specialty dairies; do not label it a ready-to-buy TESS account.

UNIT ECONOMICS / DECISION checkpoint

Make the buyer's financial decision calculable—not assumed

Annual net value = (throughput × measured unit-cost savings) + maintenance savings − additional annual operating costs

Annual processed volume (1,000 L)Incumbent total variable cost ($ / 1,000 L)TESS scenario variable cost ($ / 1,000 L)Annual maintenance savings ($)Additional annual costs ($)Installed capital premium ($)

No data entered. The estimate in the UTRF listing is not a verified unit-cost reduction.

Baseline warning

GEA describes substantial heat recovery in its existing dairy systems. A decision-ready comparison must use comparable throughput, temperature, sanitation, energy tariffs and capital cost, not a generalized 20% savings assumption.

MARKET PULL · INDUSTRY-SUPPORTED DEVELOPMENT

What if the buyer's requirement helps define—and fund—the product?

The first financing question is not simply which grants TESS might qualify for. It is who has a costly pasteurization problem worth helping solve. A sponsor's energy tariff, sanitation standard, capacity requirement, maintenance burden or equipment roadmap can change which TESS configuration we pursue—and which technical functions must be developed next.

01Find the economic needMeasure the buyer's real operating problem and the incumbent alternative.

→

02Shape the productChoose OEM component, retrofit or packaged process around that need.

→

03Agree on supportDesign paid feasibility, sponsored R&D, a co-development option or pilot.

→

04Produce evidenceUT inventors and programs complete approved, bounded work.

FIRST · COMMERCIAL SUPPORT

Five ways a market problem could finance progress

Paid feasibility review: sponsor underwrites an evidence package for a defined operational question.
Sponsored UT research: approved university agreement funds inventor-led testing or adaptation.
OEM co-development: equipment company supports interface engineering, qualification or product integration, with negotiated rights.
Operator pilot: processor funds or hosts an agreed trial after safety and commercial prerequisites.
Program sponsorship: company funds a bounded course, capstone or student research project, with faculty permission.

Never assume: interest, money, or IP terms are secured simply because an organization works in food processing.

SECOND · COMPLEMENTARY CAPITAL

Grants and venture resources support the evidence plan

UTRF maturation and internal research funding where eligible.
UTK I-Corps for structured customer discovery where a qualifying team participates.
Competitive federal grants and SBIR/STTR where the applicant and solicitation are eligible.
UTRF Entrepreneurial Fellows, Venture Launch or EIR review where program requirements fit.
100+ Accelerator only if there is an eligible established startup and current application opportunity; the present cohort is closed.

Principle: industry requirements should help determine which work merits support. Grants should not substitute for proof of demand.

Before approaching any prospective sponsorUTRF approval → permitted technical disclosure → agreed project scope → sponsor contribution → data rights / publication / improvements → milestones → independent decision to continue or stop.

Stage 02 is complete only when UTRF receives a source-linked, reviewed, ranked commercial Blueprint with declared assumptions, alternative configurations, constraints, costs, buyer evidence requirements and an inventor-validation plan. It is not complete merely because this prototype page exists.

REMEMBER · 02 ENGINEER

The invention is an ingredient—not necessarily the whole business.

Commissioned engineering connects technical capabilities with actual buyer requirements and reveals what else must be invented, licensed, purchased, tested or funded. A completed Blueprint means a reviewed, decision-ready starting plan; it does not mean every hypothesis is proven.

03Distribution and execution architecture

Turn a commercial strategy into actual work that can be accepted

Research shortlist

A commercial strategy becomes useful when every unresolved question has a proposed owner and a practical next step. SpinOut U designs the distribution across the UT System, inside a single campus, with industry sponsors, or across outside universities and laboratories when the opportunity requires it.

Design / deliverableProposed assignments, recipients, milestones and dependencies

The Blueprint becomes ten targeted assignments—not one generic pitch.

Receivers depend on the work needed. The originating invention is at UT Knoxville; execution can be on that campus, through UTIA and statewide institutes, or through authorized industry and partner institutions.

10proposed TESS work orders34candidate UT connections0accepted assignments

VISUAL DISTRIBUTION & ACCOUNTABILITY MAP

One originating invention. A coordinated network of specialized builders.

SpinOut U designs and maintains the common commercial plan. UTRF authorizes rights and commercialization decisions. Inventors verify science. Each receiving program or sponsor accepts a bounded piece of work, returns evidence, then completes its assignment. No participant is presumed to be committed.

ORIGIN / AUTHORITYUTRF #24008

Tyler Newton · licensing coordination
Jiajia Chen + Mark Morgan · originating science

UTRF keeps the rights decisions. Inventors review technical claims.

↓

THE CONNECTING OPERATORSpinOut U

Engineers commercial possibilities, identifies missing work, prepares distinct recipient briefs, coordinates authorizations and tracks returned evidence.

Does not replace UTRF, inventors, faculty, industry buyers or the work-performing institutions.

↓ distribute specific work · receive verified results ↑

↓ results returned to the same commercial case ↑

One evolving commercial opportunityEvidence reviewed → product and economics updated → continue / redesign / license / partner / stop

Choose a receiving environment

See its exact role, request, exclusions and handoff after the assignment is complete.

Documented program or public company capability Proposed assignment, no agreement Missing approval / external participant

THE RECIPROCAL UNIVERSITY NETWORK

Every campus can originate an opportunity—or help build one.

Distribution is not a one-way path out of UTRF. A UT invention can draw on outside expertise; UT campuses can receive work around another institution's invention; and complementary inventions can support a commercial system larger than either technology alone.

01UT inventions moving outwardTESS pathway shown above

ORIGINATING IPUTRF / UT Knoxville

PROPOSED BUILDERSUT + outside teams

TESS could draw on UT programs, qualified external research teams and industry sponsors—each receiving only the work it agrees to perform.

02Outside inventions moving into UTIllustrative possibility

ORIGINATING IPAnother university / lab

PROPOSED BUILDERSUT campuses & programs

UTK, UTIA, UTC, UT Martin or UT Southern could receive relevant discovery, research, design or venture work without owning the originating invention.

03Multiple inventions forming one opportunityIllustrative possibility

TECHNICAL INGREDIENTSUT IP + external IP

COMMERCIAL POSSIBILITYA larger product / system

SpinOut U can investigate complementary functions, interface fit, missing pieces and buyer economics before a jointly enabled product is pursued.

WHAT THE UT SYSTEM GAINSMore starting opportunities for its own inventions—and more opportunities for its programs to contribute.

SpinOut U prepares the commercial case and coordinates proposed work. UTRF and other IP owners retain their rights; every campus, faculty team or industry participant must separately authorize and accept its role. No external relationship or combined-IP rights are implied.

HOW DISTRIBUTED EXECUTION ACTUALLY WORKS

The same opportunity becomes different assignments—not duplicate projects.

Participant	Receives	Responsible for	Not responsible for	Afterward
UTRF · Tyler Newton	Rights and commercial options summary	Confirm institutional authority and permitted contact	Operating the startup or certifying every product claim	Approve, revise or decline the next commercial action
Jiajia Chen / Mark Morgan · UTIA	Technical questions, measured-test request	Review TESS science and identify feasible experiments	Proving market demand or committing to a business	Return data, limits and further invention needs
UTK LEEP 526	Customer and business hypothesis brief	Potential market, licensing and customer-discovery assignment	Guaranteeing customer interest or granting licenses	Return an evidenced opportunity brief; course concludes
UTK IES 437/438 · Keith Stanfill	Sponsor-ready product subsystem assignment	Potential engineering architecture and prototype after course acceptance	Safety certification or commercial production	Deliver BOM, design and test records for specialist review
UT CIS · Dwaine Raper	Defined manufacturer/OEM market requirement	Potential manufacturing technology scouting and introductions	Promising OEM purchase or a sponsor commitment	Return qualified company roles and industry needs
UTIA Center for Profitable Agriculture · Rob Holland Jr. / Alaina Boyd	Processor segment and use-case brief	Potential outreach to value-added producers and economics framing	Certifying pasteurization or providing a pilot automatically	Return operator needs and next viable introductions
UTC ENGM 5580	Evidence-based financial scenarios	Potential engineering economics analysis	Validating invented savings or quoting finished equipment	Return sensitivities and decision thresholds
UT Martin REED / UT Southern agricultural business capstone	Regional customer segment or venture work order	Potential secondary builder pathway if appropriate and accepted	Required involvement simply because they are in the UT System	Return the defined work product; assignment closes
Industry sponsor / operator	Buyer-specific value proposition and pilot request	Provide requirements, funding, technical review or a qualified trial by agreement	Granting automatic endorsement or a purchase	Accept, reject or reshape the commercial product and next investment

Named individuals are identified from published institutional roles, not identified as participants in the TESS project. Course placement, faculty sponsorship and industry work all require approval.

Filter execution work10 shown

01Rights and approvalConfirm licensing status, inventor access, disclosure and UTRF authorization.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Confirm licensing status, inventor access, disclosure and UTRF authorization.

Candidate recipients

UTRF technology manager and licensing office (UTRF / Systemwide)

Prerequisite checkpoint

UTRF rights clearance

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

02Inventor evidenceCollect original performance curves, microbial efficacy and technical limitations.Actor missing+

Delivery / proposed request

Collect original performance curves, microbial efficacy and technical limitations.

Candidate recipients

Missing authorized participant — originator technical review required

Prerequisite checkpoint

Authorized inventor participation — not a course substitute

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

03Identify customer demandQualify dairy and beverage processing buyers and OEM pain points.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Qualify dairy and beverage processing buyers and OEM pain points.

Candidate recipients

CIS Technology Acceleration / Scouting (UT Institute for Public Service) · Center for Profitable Agriculture (UT Institute of Agriculture) · NSF Mid-South I-Corps regional program (UT Knoxville) · Technology Commercialization graduate certificate / practicum (UT Knoxville) · BBA Agricultural Business Senior Capstone (UT Southern)

Prerequisite checkpoint

Permission for commercial outreach

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

04Build operating economicsCompare total cost/1000L with incumbent systems, including tariffs and sanitation.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Compare total cost/1000L with incumbent systems, including tariffs and sanitation.

Candidate recipients

Technology Commercialization graduate certificate / practicum (UT Knoxville) · Agricultural & Resource Economics / Extension specialists (UT Institute of Agriculture) · ENGM 5580 Advanced Engineering Economy (UT Chattanooga) · BBA Agricultural Business Senior Capstone (UT Southern) · Center for Profitable Agriculture (UT Institute of Agriculture)

Prerequisite checkpoint

Evidence-based baseline

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

05Prove food-process suitabilityAssess lethality, holding-time, hygienic cleaning and safety questions.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Assess lethality, holding-time, hygienic cleaning and safety questions.

Candidate recipients

FDSC 516 Food Analysis (UT Institute of Agriculture) · FDSC 390 Food Laws and Regulations (UT Institute of Agriculture) · FDSC 430 Sensory Evaluation (UT Institute of Agriculture) · Biosystems Engineering & Soil Science (UT Institute of Agriculture)

Prerequisite checkpoint

Qualified scientific and regulatory review

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

06Design a physical productWork toward an equipment architecture, BOM and controlled prototype.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Work toward an equipment architecture, BOM and controlled prototype.

Candidate recipients

IES 437 / 438 Integrated Engineering Design (UT Knoxville) · Biosystems Engineering senior design (UT Knoxville) · Kao Innovation & Collaboration Studio (UT Knoxville) · Hatch It! Lab (UT Chattanooga) · Mechanical engineering senior design (UT Martin)

Prerequisite checkpoint

Sponsors, faculty and safety plan

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

07Qualify manufacturers and OEMsEstablish manufacturing, service, integration and channel requirements.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Establish manufacturing, service, integration and channel requirements.

Candidate recipients

CIS Technology Acceleration / Scouting (UT Institute for Public Service) · Tennessee Manufacturing Extension Partnership (TMEP) (UT Institute for Public Service) · CIS energy efficiency and environmental management (UT Institute for Public Service) · IE 404 / 422 Industrial & Systems Engineering Senior Design (UT Knoxville)

Prerequisite checkpoint

Authorized OEM contacts

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

08Establish pilot operatorSecure an actual food-processor site and test agreement.Actor missing+

Delivery / proposed request

Secure an actual food-processor site and test agreement.

Candidate recipients

Missing industry operator and signed pilot site

Prerequisite checkpoint

External industry operator still missing

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

09Identify maturation fundingExamine proof-of-concept, sponsored R&D and development resources.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Examine proof-of-concept, sponsored R&D and development resources.

Candidate recipients

UTRF maturation grants (UTRF / Systemwide) · Chancellor’s Innovation Fund (UT Knoxville) · ENT 485 Funding Strategies for Entrepreneurs (UT Knoxville) · UTRF Accelerate Fund (UTRF / Systemwide)

Prerequisite checkpoint

Program-specific eligibility

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

10Commercialization decisionCompare licensing, co-development, venture formation or stop.Proposed only+

Delivery / proposed request

Compare licensing, co-development, venture formation or stop.

Candidate recipients

UTRF Venture Launch (UTRF / Systemwide) · UTRF Executives-in-Residence (UTRF / Systemwide) · UTRF Entrepreneurial Fellows (UTRF / Systemwide) · Anderson Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation (UT Knoxville) · REED Center (UT Martin)

Prerequisite checkpoint

UTRF decision

Work is considered accepted when

A program or responsible external actor explicitly confirms project scope, capacity, timeline, budget, rights and deliverables in writing. No such acceptance is recorded.

ROUTING DESIGN

Required work→Who can do it→Why that recipient→Project packet→Approval & schedule→Evidence returned

Every receiving environment needs a specific scope and capacity check. A campus course is not the inventor; an Extension center is not automatically a dairy pilot; a source URL is not an institutional commitment.

REMEMBER · 03 DESIGN EXECUTION

One commercial case can produce many distinct assignments—or be built in one place.

SpinOut U selects recipients because of the work needed, not merely because they appear in an institutional directory. The same approach can distribute across UT Knoxville, other UT campuses, statewide institutes, industry, other universities or federal laboratories.

04Formal distribution and acceptance

Do not confuse identification with participation

Not authorized / not accepted

A proposed recipient is not an approved builder. SpinOut U moves each work package through written rights permission, a suitable recipient, a clear request, accepted terms, a responsible owner and an agreed delivery date. Participation begins only after these steps are documented.

Authorize / deliverableApproved work, accountable participants, agreed terms

UTRF authorizes the commercial inquiry

Current rights, patent status, inventor contact, disclosure boundaries and the permissible outreach scope.

Evidence requiredWritten authorization and named decision owner

Inventors validate the scientific interpretation

Jiajia Chen and Mark Morgan review source claims, process envelope, missing measurements and candidate technical routes.

Evidence requiredInventor-backed constraints, limitations and test priorities

Programs and sponsors accept specific work

UTK courses, faculty, university units and industry operators choose whether to receive an actual assignment.

Evidence requiredScope, resource availability, schedule, budget, academic/rights terms

The operating plan becomes an approved project

A bounded package has named owner, deliverable, baseline, milestone, review authority and evidence-return method.

Evidence requiredAgreement, start authorization and accountable participants

CURRENT TESS CASE

The required approvals have not been obtained.

This demonstration has a proposed blueprint and receiving map, but no verified commission, authorized outreach, program acceptance or industry pilot. No activity should be represented as active work.

UTRF commission / rightsNot recorded

Inventor technical sign-offNot recorded

UT course / program acceptanceNot recorded

Industry sponsor or pilot agreementNot recorded

RECIPIENT-SPECIFIC DECISION PACKETS

Every invitation asks for one defined action

REMEMBER · 04 AUTHORIZE & ACCEPT

Identified ≠ contacted ≠ interested ≠ committed.

A university program, research group or sponsor receives a role only when the appropriate decision-maker accepts the specific assignment and its conditions. Until then, all routes remain proposals.

05Execute, validate and decide

Manage the work, learn, and repeat

Illustrative operating state

Once work is accepted, SpinOut U coordinates the plan, monitors spending and milestones, receives supporting evidence, and updates the commercial strategy. If another invention later solves a previously missing function, SpinOut U can flag the earlier opportunity for reconsideration.

Manage / deliverableEvidence-backed commercialization decision or justified stop

Once accepted, SpinOut U becomes the coordination and learning system.

The external founder-level operator does not replace UTRF, inventors, faculty, customers or sponsors. It links their work, tracks decision criteria, and re-evaluates the opportunity when new evidence or new IP changes a previously assumed constraint.

PROPOSEDNo execution underway

Rights + hypothesis baseline

Capture disclosure permissions and exact scientific questions.

Not started

Operator/OEM discovery

Record purchasing criteria, current incumbent baseline, disqualifying conditions, competing options.

Not started

Inventor and lab validation

Document food safety, process controls, sanitation, performance curves and credible comparisons.

Not started

Product/financial go/no-go

Select or reject each commercial configuration using source-linked economics.

Not started

Sponsored prototype / technical partner

Only after faculty, sponsor, contract and test plan approvals.

Not started

Pilot and commercialization decision

Document signed operator, measurable pilot criteria and final licensing / integration / venture / stop route.

Not started

WHAT SPINOUT U TRACKS

Accountability ledger

Responsible owner · due date · deliverable · spend category · evidence URL · review decision · authorization status · next dependency.

WHAT SPINOUT U RETAINS

Reusable capability + market memory

Supported or rejected interface · cost threshold · buyer objection · product configuration · new complementary invention · reason to reopen a prior case.

WHAT UTRF RECEIVES

Decision and outcome report

What was tested · who engaged · what improved · what did not work · commercial path · licensing rights and next investment checkpoint.

Possible outcomesOEM licenseJoint developmentStandalone equipment companySponsored researchReconfigure with new IPStop / defer

THE UTK DEMONSTRATION'S ACTUAL NEXT DECISION

What the first UTRF pilot should demonstrate—not presume

Measure the usefulness of the starting case, inventor corrections to technical assumptions, commercial configurations ruled in or out, qualification of prospective buyers and sponsors, UTRF staff effort required, and whether at least one proposed assignment is accepted. A documented decision not to pursue an option is also a meaningful result.

Would UTRF authorize one clearly bounded, inventor-in-the-loop investigation of #24008?

If yes, the next output is not another general brochure. It is an approved scientific/economic evidence request, a shortlist of buyer conversations and an accepted first work package. No campus or company needs to commit before that initial rights and research review.

A FINISHED ASSIGNMENT

What happens when a program completes its work?

The course, lab or partner returns the agreed findings. SpinOut U checks evidence and completion status, updates the product/economics, records any rejected assumptions, shares permitted findings with UTRF and assigns the next step only if justified. The participant can finish without being obligated to form or operate a company.

Accept work→Perform & document→Review evidence→Update strategy→New assignment or decision

REMEMBER · 05 EXECUTE & DECIDE

SpinOut U maintains accountability; the right specialists perform the work.

Every new result becomes reusable commercial knowledge: the buyer's constraint, the compatible or rejected technical connection, the measured cost, and the reason an earlier opportunity should be changed or reconsidered.

One system. Five connected stages.

Universal Discovery + University Portfolio

Commissioned Opportunity Engineering

Distribution & Execution Design

Formal Distribution & Acceptance

Managed Execution & Commercial Decisions

UTRF has the invention and the expertise. What could one coordinated commercial opportunity make possible?

How UTRF presents this invention today

Thermoelectric-Base Heat Exchanging Technology for Fluid Foods and Beverage Pasteurization (TESS)

Perspective translation: the first commercial opportunity

One technology. Different people see different possibilities.

Could thermoelectric heating change the economics of beverage pasteurization?

Engineer the business—not just the listing

One invention. Multiple possible products. A graph of constraints and missing ingredients.

What we know, what the system needs, and what may need to be added

Choose the product architecture before choosing the company

Who might actually buy, integrate, champion or reject it?

GEA

APV

Mayfield Dairy Farms

Cruze Farm

Make the buyer's financial decision calculable—not assumed

What if the buyer's requirement helps define—and fund—the product?

GEA

APV / ITT Flow Technologies

Dairy Farmers of America

Danone · Partner for Growth

Five ways a market problem could finance progress

Grants and venture resources support the evidence plan

Turn a commercial strategy into actual work that can be accepted

The Blueprint becomes ten targeted assignments—not one generic pitch.

One originating invention. A coordinated network of specialized builders.

Choose a receiving environment

Every campus can originate an opportunity—or help build one.

The same opportunity becomes different assignments—not duplicate projects.

Do not confuse identification with participation

UTRF authorizes the commercial inquiry

Inventors validate the scientific interpretation

Programs and sponsors accept specific work

The operating plan becomes an approved project

The required approvals have not been obtained.

Every invitation asks for one defined action

Manage the work, learn, and repeat

Once accepted, SpinOut U becomes the coordination and learning system.

Accountability ledger

Reusable capability + market memory

Decision and outcome report

Would UTRF authorize one clearly bounded, inventor-in-the-loop investigation of #24008?

What happens when a program completes its work?

Every suitable public invention can begin with discovery. The institution commissions depth where it matters.