FAIRFAX, VA – George Mason University has achieved a first for Virginia’s public universities, successfully commercializing a research innovation through the state’s recent Lab-to-Launch initiative. The George Mason Research Foundation entered into a licensing agreement in January with Valorlox LLC, founded by serial entrepreneur Anthony Fung, for the GMU Dynamic Low Visibility Pneumatic Cofferdam – a system designed to protect coastal communities from flooding.
The cofferdam, invented by George L. Donohue, professor emeritus and founding director of the Center for Air Transportation Systems Research at George Mason’s College of Engineering and Computing, is an inflatable, anchored barrier that can be deployed in under 16 minutes to create a watertight seal without the need for heavy machinery. When not in use, it functions as a low-profile boardwalk, integrating into waterfront landscapes.
“It’s been a strategy for the last five years,” said Paula Sorrell, George Mason’s associate vice president for innovation and economic development. “George Mason has created several programs to support the lab-to-market activities by providing wrap-around services for faculty. This not only helped build the pipeline of technologies ready for market and created the support system to build them successful, but then got this first technology through this terrific new state program.”
Fung, who previously served as the commonwealth’s deputy secretary of technology, saw the potential for both community protection and economic growth in the technology. Valorlox LLC is the first Virginia company to complete a Virginia Fast-Track License, making it eligible for up to $50,000 in commercialization funding from the Virginia Innovation Partnership Corporation (VIPC).
“The cofferdam project brings together everything I’ve learned about business, government, innovation, and solving real problems,” Fung stated. “It’s exactly the kind of challenge I desire to tackle.”
The Lab-to-Launch initiative, a collaboration between VIPC and Virginia’s R1 research universities – George Mason, Ancient Dominion, University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Tech, and William & Mary – aims to accelerate the commercialization of university research. The initiative streamlines the licensing process, reducing the time from months to weeks.
The cofferdam system is designed for a range of applications, including protecting homes, apartments, airports, military bases, hospitals, data centers, power generation facilities, tunnels, bridges, and rail systems. Donohue noted the potential for significant property damage avoidance, though a precise estimate remains difficult.
The invention is the result of years of development and includes patents shared with George Mason alumni Adel Youssef, Lucciana Remy, Faris Masri, and Murat Gokturk, all graduates of the Systems Engineering program. The George Mason Research Foundation facilitated the licensing agreement and continues to support the commercialization process.
Mason Enterprise, which supports over 33,000 start-ups and small businesses across Virginia, played a role in the project’s advancement. Last year, companies supported by Mason Enterprise received over $2.8 billion in follow-on funding, and more than 58,000 individuals participated in related workshops and programs.
The commercialization of the cofferdam technology also aligns with George Mason’s Grand Challenge Initiative, specifically its focus on building a climate-resilient society.
