This article was featured in BPLA’s Newsletter.

This was a very special year for the Invented Here! program. The BPLA event honoring New England’s newest and most innovative technologies celebrated its Tenth Anniversary! Annually, over the last decade, the BPLA’s Invented Here! program has honored hundreds of inventors, showcasing their inventions and educating the public about how the patent system advances science and technology. The BPLA’s Invented Here! program also provides an educational opportunity for the public to meet fascinating innovators and innovations.

So, on Tuesday evening, November 17, 2020, the BPLA presented its annual Invented Here! Awards Ceremony. Due to current circumstances, the event this time was in a virtual format, showcased on a video-based platform called Remo, which allowed participants to have an opportunity to network at virtual tables, located on 2 different floors. Each Honoree had his or her own table and was visited by attendees stopping by to chat via video and learn about the specific invention. The Remo platform allowed the attendees to learn details about the innovations in which they had a special interest, while it also gave the innovators a chance to speak about their creations. This fulfilled the BPLA’s mission of education, service, and community, and attendees learned how the inventions are intended to improve or are already improving the human condition.

A great many hours are spent each year by many people to get this event off the ground. The driving force behind the event are the Invented Here! Co-Chairs: Mark Solomon – Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds; Aaron Connor – Eli Lilly; and George Jakobsche – Sunstein LLP. The Invented Here! Selection Committee, with the assistance of volunteer judges, had a very difficult task of selecting eighteen patents to recognize at the event of the 78 nominated patents, and then four of those eighteen to be this year’s Featured Honorees. This year’s judges included Aaron Connor; Ariana Harris, David Blau, David Habib, Jill Sloper, Yale Robinson, and Taylor Han. Constance Brennan is invaluable help as the BPLA website administrator, as well as Judy White, Coreen Cordeiro, and Kristine Ferrigno of Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds and Kati Ferrante of Sunstein LLP, who handle the logistical issues of planning the Awards Ceremony and supporting it during the evening. Matthew Perkins of Remo supported the Committee’s planning with Remo and provided technical support during the Awards Ceremony. Many thanks go to all.

The Networking portion of the evening was followed by the Welcome Ceremony, which included a few Opening Remarks by Invented Here! co-chair Mark Solomon. Next up was George Jakobsche, Invented Here! co-chair, who, along with Mark Solomon, conducted a roll call of the inventors. When called, each innovator had the opportunity to say a few words about their innovation to the audience.

This segment was followed by the highlight of the evening — an interview session of the four Featured Honorees. Carey Goldberg, host of WBUR’s CommonHealth Section, led a “Fireside Chat” with the four Featured Honorees, asking them to speak in detail about their respective fascinating inventions. These included personal stories about their innovative spirit and the origin and motivation for their inventions. The Audience was encouraged to pose questions to the Featured Honorees, helping to create even more excitement for these amazing inventions.

The 2020 Featured Honorees were:

• Christopher Loose; who represented the Inventors from MIT, Dr. Jeff Karp and Dr. Robert Langer et al., and represented the Licensee (Frequency Therapeutics)
• Dr. Hugh M. Herr; MIT Media Lab
• Dr. Steven J. Spector; The Charles Stark Draper Laboratory, Inc.
• Dr. Vasudha Shivamoggi, Rapid7, Inc.

Following the interview segment, the floor was opened again to more networking and table-hopping. Overall, the feeling toward this virtual event was very positive, especially with the ability to visit individual tables and connect with the inventors, other BPLA members, and members of the public via video.

Click here to watch the full recording of the “Fireside Chat” with the four Featured Honorees.

This evening would not have been possible without the generous sponsors of the event. With gratitude, the sponsors included:

• Sunstein LLP
• Robins Kaplan LLP
• Northeastern University – Center for Research Innovation
• Greenberg Traurig, LLP
• McCarter & English, LLP
• Hamilton Brook Smith Reynolds

Planning for the BPLA’s 11th Annual Invented Here! program has begun. Watch for details and start thinking about which of your inventors and clients you would like to see honored next year!

Click here to read the full article on BPLA's website.