
Driving Innovation Together: The Johns Hopkins-INL 2025 Consulting Experience
January 21, 2025
The long-standing collaboration between Johns Hopkins University (JHU) and INL has entered its ninth year, continuing to inspire and drive innovation. As part of the immersive, project-based course on the Practice of Consulting, graduate students from JHU’s Engineering Management programme visited INL last week. Their visit culminated in a presentation of their work on January 14th, marking another chapter in this enriching partnership.
This collaboration is far from ordinary. For one intensive week, the students lived at the INL Guesthouse, diving headfirst into the world of nanotechnology and its transformative potential. Their task: to work closely with INL’s research groups and provide strategic insights into commercialising cutting-edge projects. The result? Detailed reports and leads that bridge the gap between scientific research and market opportunities, showcasing how technological breakthroughs can be transformed into impactful innovations.
Guiding the students through this challenging process was Andy Ross, Senior Lecturer and Associate Director of the Professional Communication Program at JHU. His mentorship ensured the students approached their work with a blend of analytical rigour and creativity, resulting in actionable business strategies for INL’s researchers.
Ana Vila was the organiser for this year’s JHU collaboration at INL. She makes emphasis on the value of this partnership:
“Every year, we see the immense benefits of combining the students’ fresh perspectives with our researchers’ expertise. This exchange not only helps us envision new possibilities for our technologies but also provides a unique learning experience for everyone involved.”
Technologies and Teams involved
This year’s projects tackled “Semitransparent Solar Cells”, “Volatile Organic Compounds detection system” and chips for “Microplastics detection”, showcasing the diverse applications of nanotechnology across fields. Those inventions were generated by researchers from the Sadewasser, the Diéguez, and the Espiña Research Groups at INL, respectively, accompanied throughout their programme by Sascha Sadewasser, Pedro Anacleto, Nuno Rodrigues, Pieter De Beule, Adelaide Miranda, Begoña Espiña, Laura Rodriguez-Lorenzo, Marilia Santos, and Monica Quarato. From concept to market strategies, the collaboration illuminated the path for innovations to make a tangible impact.
Organised by FLAD – the Luso-American Foundation for Development – this initiative underscores the importance of transatlantic partnerships. FLAD’s mission is to foster collaboration between Portugal and the United States, promoting scientific, educational, cultural, and economic development. Through this program, students and researchers alike benefit from a shared vision of innovation and growth.
For INL, this annual partnership is invaluable. It fosters international collaboration and enhances awareness among our researchers about how their innovative technologies can take flight in global markets. By merging scientific ingenuity with business foresight, this collaboration continues to be a cornerstone for innovation and development.
Photography by Rui Andrade; Text by Ana Vila and Mariam Debs