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BioInnovation Institute enters into a collaboration with MIT and UNC to support new Bio Studio project

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COPENHAGEN, Denmark, Aug. 6, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — BioInnovation Institute (BII), an international non-profit foundation, incubating and accelerating world-class life science research, today announces it has entered into a collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the University of North Carolina (UNC) to support a research project through its company creation program, Bio Studio.

Under the terms of the collaboration agreement, BII will contribute to the funding of the Project by means of a grant with a total annual market value of up to DKK 7,860,000, for a project period of up to three years. Alongside the grant, BII will support the project with business development expertise, intellectual property support, access to investor network, and both wet lab and office infrastructure.

The Bio Studio project, named Pivot, will focus on how mucus can combat antibiotic resistance. The project aims to leverage the mucus barrier, an essential component of the innate immune system, to address the unmet medical needs of chronic lung diseases. The project will be led by Principal Investigators, Professor Katharina Ribbeck and Associate Professor Matthew Wolfgang.

Katharina Ribbeck, Professor of Biological engineering at MIT, leads The Ribbeck Lab which has become a world-leader in elucidating the role of mucus and the basic mechanisms of the mucus barrier. Matthew Wolfgang, Associate Professor at the Department of Microbiology and Immunology and the Marsico Lung Institute at UNC, leads the team at The Wolfgang Lab and focuses on the pathogenesis of chronic respiratory infection in muco-obstructive airway diseases.

Trine Bartholdy, Chief Innovation Officer at BioInnovation Institute said: “We are excited to enter into a collaboration with world-leading research institutes, MIT and UNC. The Pivot project is a fantastic addition to our Bio Studio portfolio as antibiotic resistance remains a key concern for society. The combination of expertise from both Prof. Ribbeck and Associate Prof. Wolfgang is a truly unique asset for this project and we look forward to supporting the team in developing innovative solutions to address antibiotic resistance.” 

Professor Katharina Ribbeck, Principal Investigator at Massachusetts Institute of Technology added: “The critical role of the mucus barrier has been overshadowed by the historical emphasis on antibiotics. However, with antibiotic resistance presenting a growing global threat, leveraging the power of this natural defense system offers a new frontier in therapeutic development. By harnessing the potential of the mucus barrier, a cornerstone of our innate immune system, we can achieve significant benefits for patients and society as a whole. BII’s Bio Studio program provides the perfect platform to explore the commercial potential of this innovative science and pave the way for company creation.”

Professor Matthew Wolfgang, Principal Investigator at University of North Carolina said: “As the prevalence of lung disease and chronic lung infection continue to increase world-wide, there is a dire need for new more effective therapies to treat these highly recalcitrant infections. I am thrilled to be part of this innovative team and look forward to advancing Pivot to the next level with the support of the Bio Studio program.”

Read more about the Bio Studio program here.

About the BioInnovation Institute Foundation:

At BioInnovation Institute (BII), we accelerate world-class life science start-up innovation for the benefit of people and society. As a non-profit institute, BII operates the company creation programs, Bio Studio, Venture Lab and Venture House, to support life science start-ups with knowledge, network, infrastructure and funding of up to 3M EUR per projects and 1,8 M EUR per start-up. With our expertise, network, funding, and infrastructure, we empower startups to succeed and believe in the transformative power of life science innovation. Read more on www.bioinnovationinstitute.com 

Since its inception in 2018, BII has supported 100 start-ups and projects with EUR 97 million alongside the venture capital, industry and business expertise it provides to help them accelerate to the next level.  In total, BII’s start-ups have raised over EUR 428 million in external funding from both local and international investors.  Recent company successes include, Adcendo, Stipe Therapeutics, Twelve Bio, Octarine Bio, and Cirqle Biomedical.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/bioinnovation-institute-enters-into-a-collaboration-with-mit-and-unc-to-support-new-bio-studio-project-302214476.html

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Ultra Clean Announces Retirement of the Chief Financial Officer Sheri Savage

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HAYWARD, Calif., April 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: UCTT), today announced that Sheri Savage, CFO, will be retiring from the company.

“On behalf of the Board and the entire UCT team, I want to extend my deepest gratitude to Sheri for her remarkable 17 years of leadership and service,” said James Xiao, CEO. “Throughout her tenure, Sheri has played a pivotal role in shaping UCT’s financial strength, operational discipline, and long-term strategic direction. Her steady leadership, deep expertise, and unwavering commitment to excellence have helped guide the company through multiple industry cycles, positioning UCT for the next phase of growth. Sheri has been a trusted partner to me, the Board, and the broader global finance team, and her positive impact on this company will be lasting. We thank her sincerely for her dedication and wish her all the very best in her well-earned retirement.”

“It has been an incredible honor to be part of UCT’s journey over the past 17 years. I am deeply proud of what we have built together – strengthening our financial foundation, supporting our customers, and growing alongside a truly talented and committed global team,” said Sheri. “I am grateful for the trust and support I’ve received from my colleagues, our leadership team, and the Board throughout my tenure. UCT is well positioned for the future, and I look forward to watching the company continue to grow and succeed in the years ahead.”

The Board has initiated a comprehensive search for Sheri’s successor, considering both internal and external candidates, and will provide an update in due course.

About Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc.

Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc. is a leading developer and supplier of critical subsystems, components, parts, and ultra-high purity cleaning and analytical services, primarily for the semiconductor industry. Under its Products division, UCT offers its customers an integrated outsourced solution for major subassemblies, improved design-to-delivery cycle times, design for manufacturability, prototyping, and high-precision manufacturing. Under its Services Division, UCT offers its customers tool chamber parts cleaning and coating, as well as micro-contamination analytical services. Ultra Clean is headquartered in Hayward, California. Additional information is available at www.uct.com.

Contact:

Rhonda Bennetto
SVP Investor Relations
rbennetto@uct.com

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SOURCE Ultra Clean Holdings, Inc.

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SandboxAQ CEO Jack Hidary at Davos: GPS Jamming and AI Cyber Threats Now Converge

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CEO tells The National that navigation interference and AI vulnerabilities now form a single threat surface for critical systems.

PALO ALTO, Calif., Apr. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Jack Hidary, CEO of SandboxAQ, warned that GPS jamming, GPS spoofing, and AI-enabled cyberattacks are converging into a single operational threat to critical systems. In remarks to The National, Hidary said the threats are no longer separate concerns but overlapping challenges requiring unified resilience.

SandboxAQ addresses both fronts with two technologies: AQNav, which uses the Earth’s magnetic field — the same signal birds and animals navigate by — to deliver resilient positioning, navigation, and timing in GPS-denied environments, and AQtive Guard, which unifies AI security and cryptographic posture management.

GPS interference is shifting from edge case to operational norm:

In June 2025, residents across multiple Middle Eastern countries reported location-service disruptions affecting consumer devices, ships, and aircraft, according to The National.In September 2025, media outlets reported GPS jamming on a flight carrying European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, attributed to Russian interference.

“Recently, there was a plane flying and because it lost GPS because of jamming, the autopilot would not engage,” Hidary said, citing pilot reports of cascading failures inside aircraft systems. AQNav, tested by the US Air Force and several aviation companies, has drawn interest from Middle Eastern airlines.

Hidary linked GPS disruption to a parallel AI threat: “Large language models are also a vector of cyber attack.” He cited nation-state hackers exploiting generative AI tools, plus the Samsung incident, where engineers entered confidential information into ChatGPT.

The WEF’s 2026 Global Risks Report ranks cyber insecurity #6 among short-term global risks, with adverse outcomes of AI technologies showing the sharpest long-term rise — moving from #30 in the two-year outlook to #5 in the ten-year outlook. The report warns that “technological risks are also anticipated to worsen in severity over the next decade.”

Learn more or request a demo at sandboxaq.com. Read the full Davos coverage in The National.

About SandboxAQ

SandboxAQ is an enterprise company delivering AI solutions at the intersection of machine learning and science. Spun out from Alphabet in 2022, it develops Large Quantitative Models (LQMs) for life sciences, cybersecurity, financial services, navigation, and advanced materials. Visit www.sandboxaq.com to learn more.

 

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SOURCE SandboxAQ

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Tech-Access Canada Welcomes $165M Federal Investment to Accelerate Commercialisation

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OTTAWA, ON, April 28, 2026 /CNW/ – Tech-Access Canada, the national network of Canada’s Technology Access Centres (TACs), welcomes today’s federal Spring Economic Update, which includes an investment of $165 million over five years to extend support for the College and Community Innovation (CCI) Program.

Delivered through Canada’s tri-council research system and administered by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the CCI Program enables businesses to access applied R&D expertise, specialized facilities, and technical services to advance innovation and bring new technologies to market.

This investment will strengthen Canada’s capacity to support commercialisation and productivity by helping businesses, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, accelerate the development, validation, and adoption of new products, processes, and technologies.

“Continued support for the CCI Program reinforces a proven model that connects businesses with the expertise and infrastructure they need to innovate and compete,” said Melanie Ross, Research Chair, Green Building Technology Access Centre, Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, and Chair of Tech-Access Canada’s Board of Directors. “Technology Access Centres deliver practical, industry-driven solutions that help companies move ideas forward and translate innovation into real economic outcomes.”

Each year, TACs work with thousands of companies across sectors to advance technologies along the commercialisation pathway from early-stage validation through to deployment and scale-up. By providing objective, non-dilutive support, TACs help companies make informed decisions, avoid costly missteps, and accelerate time-to-market.

“This investment helps ensure that innovation developed in Canada stays in Canada,” said Ken Doyle, Executive Director of Tech-Access Canada. “TACs help companies commercialise here at home reducing risk, accelerating time to market, and driving real outcomes. As Canadian firms scale and export globally, that success returns to the Canadian economy.”

Tech-Access Canada’s network includes more than 70 Technology Access Centres located across the country, providing businesses with access to over 2,100 applied R&D experts, millions of square feet of specialized facilities, and hundreds of millions of dollars in equipment and infrastructure.

About Tech-Access Canada

Tech-Access Canada is the national network of Canada’s Technology Access Centres (TACs), which help businesses access the expertise, facilities, and support they need to advance innovation and bring new products and services to market.

www.MeetTheTACs.ca

SOURCE Tech-Access Canada

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