July 23, 2021 “UCI has really set a brilliant example – not just locally but nationally – in leading the mind shift among researchers to think more entrepreneurially, and a lot of the credit for that goes to Beall Applied Innovation,” says Weian Zhao, professor of pharmaceutical sciences and co-founder of several companies, including Velox Biosystems. Julie Kennedy / UCI Beall Applied Innovation An award-winning innovator who started an agricultural technology company. A UCI alumnus who founded a medical device company. A UCI professor who’s producing rapid tests for COVID-19 and other diseases. Their backgrounds are as different as their companies, but they all launched their ventures at UCI Beall Applied Innovation.