UNM Rainforest Innovations

UNM Rainforest Innovations

UNM Rainforest Innovations operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit wholly owned by the University of New Mexico Board of Regents, serving as the university's singular technology-transfer and economic-development arm. Its independent board of directors governs an office inside the Lobo Rainforest Building in downtown Albuquerque's Innovation District. The organization was formerly known as the Science & Technology Corporation at UNM. The organization patents and copyrights faculty inventions across life sciences, engineering, and physical sciences before licensing them to established companies or forming startup ventures. Its innovation managers work directly with UNM researchers to file disclosures, while commercialization and economic-development directors market those technologies to outside business communities. The model prioritizes proximity — the office sits alongside the R&D facilities and lab spaces of companies it helped create — yet the portfolio itself is not publicly itemized beyond faculty spotlights such as associate professor Ali Bidram in electrical and computer engineering. Kuuttila serves as both CEO and Chief Economic Development Officer, signaling a dual mandate that fuses IP commercialization with workforce and community growth. The internal team of 14 full-time staff is organized into specialized tracks spanning innovation management, technology marketing, intellectual-property management, and economic-development outreach. A recent operational marker came in April 2026, when the organization hosted its annual inventors’ celebration showcasing faculty research and accompanied it with a visit from USPTO regional director Hope Shimabuku to reinforce the office’s patent-focused infrastructure. Its structure departs from the typical university licensing office. New Mexico statute designates it as a University Research Park and Economic Development Act organization, giving it broader authority to facilitate business-university connections, manage facilities, and directly nurture startup companies on behalf of the regents.