HOUSTON INNOVATORS PODCAST EPISODE 187

University leader calls for shift in culture to advance Houston innovation

Ramanan Krishnamoorti, vice president of energy and innovation at the University of Houston, joins the Houston Innovators Podcast to talk about the university's dedication to helping the city become an innovative force. Photo via UH.edu

Ramanan Krishnamoorti has had a varied career in academia, from an engineering professor to nanotech research. While he never made the transition from researcher to entrepreneur, he managed to snag a CEO title at the university about a decade ago: Chief energy officer.

Since then his role has expanded to include advancing UH's innovation of all kinds — from health tech to the arts — as vice president of energy and innovation at UH. In his role, he oversees the UH Technology Bridge, a lab and coworking space for tenants just a short drive away from UH's main campus, as well as future plans, like a new central campus hub for innovation that's in its early stages of development.

"What we really need at the university today is to bring innovation — which tech transfer is a piece of — and connect that to real-world challenges to deliver what the world needs, which is talented folks delivering new innovative, entrepreneurial, or intrapreneurial programs," Krishnamoorti says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast.

For Krishnamoorti, so much of what is happening on campus is directly in line with what's happening city wide in Houston. There's a need to encourage more innovation and entrepreneurship, he says, and Houston already has what it takes to do it.

"As a city, we're known to solve problems," he says on the show. "We don't talk about things here, we get stuff done. That's been the calling card for the city."

A priority for Krishnamoorti is making sure that UH has a culture — for students, faculty, and the entire community — that embraces creativity.

"We've got some incredibly innovative staff and faculty, and one of the things we do very well in academia, in spite of everything we talking about, is that we know how to stifle that creativity, especially when it comes to staff and faculty," Krishnamoorti says. "How do we change that culture?"

"Culture is the dominate thing," he continues. "We've got to be systematic about it. If we don't deliver that cultural shift about how we unleash creativity and innovation amongst our student, staff, faculty, and alumni, we're going to fail."

Krishnamoorti shares more about his vision for UH's future as a hotspot for innovation, as well as the challenges the organization faces, on the podcast. Listen to the interview below — or wherever you stream your podcasts — and subscribe for weekly episodes.

This article originally ran on InnovationMap.


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A View From HETI

HYCO1 has signed an agreement to convert 1 million tons per year of raw CO2 into industrial-grade syngas at a new carbon capture project in Malaysia. Photo via Getty Images.

Houston-based CO2 utilization company HYCO1 has signed a memorandum of understanding with Malaysia LNG Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Petronas, for a carbon capture project in Malaysia, which includes potential utilization and conversion of 1 million tons of carbon dioxide per year.

The project will be located in Bintulu in Sarawak, Malaysia, where Malaysia LNG is based, according to a news release. Malaysia LNG will supply HYCO1 with an initial 1 million tons per year of raw CO2 for 20 years starting no later than 2030. The CCU plant is expected to be completed by 2029.

"This is very exciting for all stakeholders, including HYCO1, MLNG, and Petronas, and will benefit all Malaysians," HYCO1 CEO Gregory Carr said in the release. "We approached Petronas and MLNG in the hopes of helping them solve their decarbonization needs, and we feel honored to collaborate with MLNG to meet their Net Zero Carbon Emissions by 2050.”

The project will convert CO2 into industrial-grade syngas (a versatile mixture of carbon monoxide and hydrogen) using HYCO1’s proprietary CUBE Technology. According to the company, its CUBE technology converts nearly 100 percent of CO2 feed at commercial scale.

“Our revolutionary process and catalyst are game changers in decarbonization because not only do we prevent CO2 from being emitted into the atmosphere, but we transform it into highly valuable and usable downstream products,” Carr added in the release.

As part of the MoU, the companies will conduct a feasibility study evaluating design alternatives to produce low-carbon syngas.

The companies say the project is expected to “become one of the largest CO2 utilization projects in history.”

HYCO1 also recently announced that it is providing syngas technology to UBE Corp.'s new EV electrolyte plant in New Orleans. Read more here.

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