Social Innovation
Social Innovation Marketplace (SIM)
Welcome to the Social Innovation Marketplace at the University of Delaware — a place where intellectual ingenuity and socially minded problem-solving meet.
UD's Office of Economic Innovation & Partnerships (OEIP) created the Social Innovation Marketplace to better connect research-based solutions developed at UD to local and global communities in need, driving positive social change and enhancing community well-being.
The publicly available digital solutions below were created by socially focused innovators from across the university, spanning disciplines from social sciences and humanities to the arts, business, technology, athletics and beyond.
Current Social Innovations
Saliva-Wicking Scarves
These handmade scarves offer a stylish, dignified alternative to bibs for people of all ages who experience drooling due to conditions like cerebral palsy, ALS, or other oral-motor impairments. Available in three designs — wrap-around, angel, and smooth — each scarf uses a three-layer system to wick moisture away from the skin, absorb it, and protect clothing underneath. A free do-it-yourself (DIY) manual lets caregivers and users sew and customize their own at home, with options to adjust the size, fabric, fasteners, and layering based on individual needs.
Created by Jiayi Ren, M.S. & Michele Lobo, PT, PhD at the University of Delaware's Move 2 Learn Innovation Lab.
One-Handed Game Controller Adapter
This DIY adapter lets gamers with limited hand mobility play standard video games using just one hand without sacrificing action or control. By resting the controller on their lap, the user operates one joystick with their thumb and the other with their middle finger on the back of the device, enabling full two-stick gameplay from a reclined position. An instruction manual walks you through building the adaptive device at home (basic soldering skills required). Gaming isn't just entertainment — for many people with disabilities, it's one of the most accessible ways to connect socially and experience the world!
Created by Ben Greenspan, PhD & Michele Lobo, PT, PhD at the University of Delaware's Move 2 Learn Innovation Lab. Licensed under Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 4.0
Quantum Numbers Card Game
This web-based card game makes one of chemistry's trickiest topics — quantum numbers and atomic orbitals — actually fun to learn! Players examine sets of quantum numbers to figure out where an electron "lives" inside an atom, with the game's rules naturally reinforcing which quantum number sets are or are not allowed. The game is designed for high school and college chemistry students and drops easily into a classroom or study group with no special setup. Download the digital game, and you're ready to play.
Created by Lauren Genova, PhD, Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry and Lauren Hamory, M. Ed., IT Academic Technology Services, at the University of Delaware.
Grain Marketing Discount Tool
Selling grain straight from the field at higher moisture levels can save time—but it often reduces long-term returns. This tool empowers farmers by transforming that everyday decision into data that clearly illustrates the financial trade-offs behind convenience.
Designed with farmer profitability and transparency in mind, this resource compares how different grain elevator discounting methods—such as moisture penalties, drying charges and shrink factors—impact overall revenue. It also allows users to explore the benefits of on-farm drying before delivery, supporting more sustainable and informed marketing strategies.
By making these cost dynamics visible and easy to evaluate, the tool equips farmers/producers to take control of their marketing decisions, improve financial outcomes and strengthen resilience in their operations.
To use, download the tool, follow the instructions and simply update the blue-highlighted cells in the spreadsheet with your farm-specific data.
Created by Kofi Britwum Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Farm Management and Agricultural Economics at the University of Delaware.
Endopocket
EndoPocket is an innovative and independent pocket designed to offer a discreet, hands-free solution for securing portable heat therapy devices to relieve pain associated with endometriosis, menstruation and chronic abdominal conditions. Uniquely positioned at the lower abdomen, the EndoPocket allows heating pads to be worn securely beneath everyday garments—such as pants or skirts—without visibility or disruption. Its thoughtfully engineered design and recommended fabrics deliver gentle compression, comfort and reliable support, keeping the heat source in place during sitting, standing and movement. Unlike traditional solutions, EndoPocket enables users to adjust their heat therapy device seamlessly without removing clothing, ensuring continuous pain relief without limiting mobility or daily activity. The result is an empowering blend of comfort, flexibility and functionality that supports real-life movement and long-term pain management. To further enhance accessibility and personalization, the EndoPocket is offered with a customizable sewing pattern and DIY manual, allowing users and caregivers to adapt the design to individual medical needs, body types and personal style.
Design adaptation created by the students in FASH 425/625, Spring 2026 - Wearable Product Design class: Min-Lun Wu, Brynn Malone, Julia Walton, Sabrina Kushner, Madison Toth, : Julianna Moran, Ellena Adams, Orlagh Cahill, Molly Carfagno, led by Prof. Adriana Gorea, CAS Arts & Humanities Faculty Fellow 2022, Associate Professor, Fashion and Apparel Studies Department; original design and product created by Miriam Keegan MS’24 GradFASH & Cara McKenna BS ’24 BMEG
Watch: Kelly Cobb Textile Video: youtube.com/watch?v=9Y0_3mYtfIE
Social Innovation at the University of Delaware
Kelly Cobb - Textile Recycling Program
For UD Social Innovators
The Social Innovation Pilot Program is an initiative of UD’s Technology Transfer Office, a unit of OEIP. The program's mission is to build a dynamic ecosystem that extends social innovation beyond traditional academic channels, fosters socially conscious ideas across disciplines and expands translational research opportunities for UD innovators.
The pilot program is open to all UD Innovators, including educators, researchers, employees and students who are creating social innovation projects. UD innovators may work with community partners in developing creative, research‑based solutions to social, educational and community needs/challenges.
The program encourages experimentation, cross‑disciplinary collaboration and real‑world project development within a supportive learning environment.
Projects should focus on addressing a social and/or educational issue such as:
Improving access to learning
Enhancing community welfare or engagement
Reducing inequities in education
- Supporting mental health and student well‑being
- Using technology to solve community problems
*Projects must be in digital form (or easily converted to digital form) and able to be downloaded via the Social Innovation portal on OEIP’s website.
UD innovators will complete and submit a Social Innovation Disclosure form via the Innovators’/Inventors’ Portal.
UD’s Social Innovation team will review the submissions and contact the innovators for additional information and determine whether or not the innovators' social innovation will be selected for the pilot launch.
For additional questions please contact techtransfer@udel.edu.