Research NewsletterIssue: ORN-2025-03

Recent NJIT Provisional Patent Applications (Filed)

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Patent Title:    Asymmetric Thermo-Cells

NJIT Ref No.:   25-006

Inventor(s):     Grebel, Haim / Darling, Robert

Patent Application Status:   Filed Provisional Patent Application

Patent Application Filing Date:  1/10/2025

Application Filing No.:   63/743,871

Technology Licensing Status:  Available 

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Patent Title:    Method and Apparatus for Energy Harvesting in Leadless Pacemakers

NJIT Ref No.:   25-011

Inventor(s):     Dong, Lin

Patent Application Status:   Filed Provisional Patent Application

Patent Application Filing Date:  1/15/2025

Application Filing No.:   63/745,518

Technology Licensing Status:  Available 

NSF: Strengthening American Infrastructure (SAI); Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable Open Science (FAIROS); Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC); Cybersecurity Innovation for Cyberinfrastructure (CICI); Collaborations in Artificial Intelligence and Geosciences (CAIG); Translation and Diffusion (TD); Smart and Connected Communities (S&CC)

NIH: NIA Postdoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Broad Participation in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F32); T32 Training Program to Promote Broad Participation (T32); NIA Predoctoral Fellowship Award to Promote Broad Participation in Translational Research for AD/ADRD (F31); NEI Translational Research Program for Therapeutics (R33); Trailblazer Award for New and Early Stage Investigators (R21); Small Grants for New Investigators to Broaden Participation in Health-Related Research (R21); Joint NINDS/NIMH Exploratory Neuroscience Research Grant (R21)

Department of Defense/US Army/DARPA/ONR: ERDC Broad Agency Announcement; Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Directors' Research Initiative (DRI)

Department of Energy: Early Career Research Program; High-Energy-Density Laboratory Plasma Science; Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) Accelerating CO2 Conversion Technology Development and Deployment – Biological, Catalytic, and Mineralization Pathways; Research in Basic Plasma Science and Engineering

National Endowment of Humanities: State and Impact of the Humanities

Commerce announces new export control on US AI products: A new rule unveiled by the Biden administration focuses on securing U.S. dominance in artificial intelligence deployment and innovation by enabling the interchange of sensitive AI technologies with partner nations and enacting further safeguards to prevent access from adversarial countries.  Announced on Monday, the directive imposed by the Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security places new export controls on components of AI softwares and technologies. The specific elements targeted by the rule include advanced GPU computing chips and select, closed AI mode weights.

The changes made to Commerce’s licensing requirements work to thread the needle between continued commercial trade while mitigating the national security risk accompanying the proliferation of superconducting chips. Some exceptions exist for supply chain operations, except to arms-embargoed countries.  The rule also includes new license updates to Commerce’s existing Data Center Validated End User authorization.

The VEU program enables domestic exporters to send certain high-technology items to entities in countries like China and India that have met certain interagency review requirements.

Regarding the Data Center VEU program, the new directive designates two separate types of data centers: universal VEUs and national VEUs. The former provides entities in the U.S. and select allied and partner countries with the ability to build out a data center without additional permissions. The latter category allows entities headquartered outside of arms-embargoed countries to construct data centers in specified locations with no additional authorizations. 

The diffusion of semiconductor chips falls into similar crosshairs. Raimondo confirmed that supply chain operations like packaging and testing are explicitly excluded in the new rule, but that new controls for advanced computing chips will require new authorizations for exports, reexports and transfers. More information is posted on the NextGov website.

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Biden Signs Order Intended To Spur Development Of AI Infrastructure: The AP (1/14, Parvini) reported that on Tuesday, President Biden “signed an ambitious executive order on artificial intelligence that seeks to ensure the infrastructure needed for advanced AI operations, such as large-scale data centers and new clean power facilities, can be built quickly and at scale in the United States.” Biden’s order “directs federal agencies to accelerate large-scale AI infrastructure development at government sites, while imposing requirements and safeguards on the developers building on those locations. It also directs certain agencies to make federal sites available for AI data centers and new clean power facilities.”

        CNBC (1/14, Haddad) explained the order “empowers the U.S. Department of Defense and Department of Energy to lease federal sites for gigawatt-scale AI data centers.” CNBC notes companies “leasing the federal lands will also be required to purchase an ‘appropriate share’ of U.S.-manufactured semiconductors and to pay workers ‘prevailing wages,’ according to the release.” Reuters (1/14, Shepardson) reported the President “said the order will ‘accelerate the speed at which we build the next generation of AI infrastructure here in America, in a way that enhances economic competitiveness, national security, AI safety, and clean energy.’”

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USPTO debuts 2025 AI strategy:  The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office’s new artificial intelligence strategy looks to bring AI technology into the operations that support expediting and supporting patent and trademark applications.  Unveiled on Tuesday, the strategy unites five focus areas for the agency: advancing the development of intellectual property policies and promoting AI innovation and inclusion; building best-in-class AI capabilities through product and computational development; promoting the responsible use of AI internally; developing an AI expertise within the agency workforce; and engaging in interagency collaboration. The strategy says that the five areas are meant to compliment each other.

One notable detail included in the strategy was how USPTO plans to leverage its existing data and research programs to support how the agency might integrate and benefit from AI solutions, including its Open Data program. More information is posted on the NextGov website.