Innovation and Entrepreneurship
MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering is an engine of innovation. At MIT, its impact is outsized, with more patents per faculty member than any other department. Between 2000 and 2011, for example, fewer than 20 inventors patented close to 140 inventions.
A recent DMSE analysis found that patents involving DMSE researchers rose 47% over the past six years, according to MIT Technology Licensing Office data.
DMSE faculty turn these inventions into real-world impact. Since 1987, with the launch of American Superconductor, faculty spinouts have grown steadily, reaching 70 startups by 2024. This count is based on a departmental analysis of companies founded by DMSE faculty, drawing from MIT Startup Exchange, self-reported faculty disclosures, and direct queries. This total includes only companies founded by faculty; startups by students, postdocs, or former faculty are not included. These companies are reshaping industries including energy and sustainability, materials manufacturing, and bioscience.
A few notable examples show the breadth of this entrepreneurial activity. T2 Biosystems, co-founded in 2006 by Professor Michael Cima, pioneered direct-from-sample testing to detect infectious diseases. In 2010, Professors Yet-Ming Chiang and W. Craig Carter launched 24M, which develops semi-solid lithium-ion batteries for affordable, scalable energy storage.
Boston Metal, founded in 2013 by Professor Emeritus Donald Sadoway and Professor Antoine Allanore, is commercializing molten oxide electrolysis to produce steel and other metals without carbon emissions. And in 2020, Sublime Systems took sustainable production a step further, developing a process for green concrete that replaces combustion with electricity.
These examples represent only a fraction of the department’s contributions—proof of how research in DMSE translates into technologies that change the world.
Resources for Innovators and Entrepreneurs
Students are invited to enter design and innovation contests in the Department and across the Institute; and they can apply for fellowships and other funding to bring their ideas to reality.
Explore DMSE Entrepreneurship
Learn the stories behind some of the most successful and innovative startups with roots in DMSE—how they started and how they’re making an impact.
Breaking ground with green cement
Decarbonizing the power grid at scale
