Hitesh Handa

Hitesh Handa, an associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Engineering, has been named UGA’s 2021 Entrepreneur of the Year. Presented by the UGA Office of Research, the award recognizes a faculty member who has started a company within the past four years based on research originated at the University of Georgia.

Handa conducts translational research focused on the development of biocompatible medical device coatings that prevent infection. He founded inNOveta Biomedical LLC to facilitate commercialization of his research discoveries, and his research has led to four issued patents and multiple pending patent applications. Handa’s novel coating technology releases nitric oxide that inhibits blood clotting and infection.

In fall 2019, Handa was selected as one of two inaugural UGA Faculty Innovation Fellows, an accolade recognizing Handa’s passion and commitment to moving his technologies to the market. In 2020, inNOveta Biomedical was awarded more than $1 million in Small Business Technology Transfer Phase II funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health to develop his patented technology for the prevention of catheter-associated infections.