November 15, 2025
Engineering and Innovative Technology Development (EITD) is proud to announce that BLADE — the Blazer Launchpad for Advanced Design and Engineering — has been selected as a 2025 UAB Strategic Investment Fund (SIF) awardee. This initiative marks a major step forward in expanding rapid-development engineering support across UAB.

BLADE is driven by the vision and efforts of Samuel Misko and Andrés Morales, who have worked to create a university-wide model that applies EITD’s established engineering capabilities to accelerate innovation in medicine, research, and emerging technologies.

Through BLADE, EITD will provide a streamlined path for UAB innovators to move from concept to prototype. The program is designed to:

• Transform ideas into engineered solutions through rapid prototyping and development.
• Strengthen UAB’s intellectual property and commercialization pipeline in collaboration with the Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship.
• Foster interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, medicine, and research.
• Support startup creation and broader economic impact.

EITD is currently refining the project and evaluation process for BLADE and will share participation details in the coming months. We look forward to partnering with UAB faculty, clinicians, researchers, and students ready to bring new ideas to life.