April is South Carolina Innovation Awareness Month (IAM) — a statewide designation MUSC helped establish in 2023 in partnership with the Governor's Office to spotlight South Carolina's growing innovation ecosystem. Throughout the month, MUSC brings that mission to life with events, conversations, and collaborations that connect innovators across the enterprise and beyond.
At the heart of IAM is Innovation Week — our annual five-day celebration empowering the MUSC Enterprise to imagine bold solutions to real healthcare challenges. From award ceremonies to pitch competitions, Innovation Week puts a spotlight on the people and ideas that are changing what's possible in health, education, and research.
Today, as part of IAM, MUSC works to drive innovation and entrepreneurship throughout the state for a thriving economy. As a founding member of IAM, we are hosting events throughout April that promote the state’s game-changing creative organizations and tech startups while highlighting the meaningful outcomes from our nationally recognized business innovation ecosystem.
A complete list of events for April 2026's Innovation Awareness Month can be found below. Click each event for registration options and times.
Time: 8:00 - 10:30 a.m.
Location: Columbia
Join us on April 2 to learn about MUSC's Translational Science, Biorepositories, Data Science, and Informatics Cores and Shared Resources, which provide state-of-the-art instrumentation and specialized expertise to support innovative biomedical research, ranging from basic to translational science, and are available to investigators both within and outside the institution.
MUSC’s Innovation Showcase is expanding beyond the Charleston campus, with each Region hosting its own poster session during Innovation Week. These regional showcases highlight the creativity and problem‑solving happening across MUSC’s statewide system, giving care teams the opportunity to share ideas, spotlight local innovation, and contribute to enterprise‑wide improvement efforts.
MUSC’s Innovation Showcase is expanding beyond the Charleston campus, with each Regionhosting its own poster session during Innovation Week. These regional showcases highlight the creativity and problem‑solving happening across MUSC’s statewide system, giving care teams the opportunity to share ideas, spotlight local innovation, and contribute to enterprise‑wide improvement efforts.
This faculty-focused session introduces Academic Affairs Faculty to the capabilities of the DREAM Studio. It is designed to encourage integration of design thinking, prototyping, and innovation tools into teaching and research.
Led by the Office of Interprofessional Initiatives, this hands-on workshop introduces an AI-driven simulation platform that allows participants to explore clinical scenarios, team-based learning, and adaptive AI mentoring tools.
Join us for the 7th Annual Digestive Disease Research Center (DDRC) Retreat & Symposium on Friday, April 17, in the Hollings Cancer Center Auditorium. Supported by MUSC’s CTSA and the College of Medicine, this annual event brings together researchers, clinicians, and trainees to share the latest discoveries and foster collaboration in digestive and liver disease research.
The symposium brings together investigators, clinicians, and trainees from all divisions to share new discoveries, exchange ideas, and spark interdisciplinary collaboration. Attendees will have the opportunity to present their work, engage with peers, and gain valuable feedback in a supportive academic environment.
Join us for an afternoon of research presentations, discussion, and networking!
Discover how MUSC prepares the next generation of healthcare professionals with a behind‑the‑scenes tour of the MUSC Healthcare Simulation Center. The center offers a unique look at how MUSC drives excellence in education, teamwork, and innovation across the health sciences. Tours have a maximum of 20 participants at one time.
MUSC’s Innovation Showcase extends beyond the Charleston campus, with each Region hosting its own poster session during Innovation Month. These regional showcases highlight the creativity and problem‑solving happening across MUSC’s statewide system, giving care teams the opportunity to share ideas, spotlight local innovation, and contribute to enterprise‑wide improvement efforts.
Join the Office of Research Development and Corporate & Foundation Relations for an informative session focused on securing funding for innovative research. This session is ideal for faculty and researchers seeking to expand their funding portfolio and advance innovative scientific ideas. This seminar will provide practical guidance and strategic insight into foundation funding, including:
Learn more and Register: https://redcap.musc.edu/surveys/?s=ELXT9EWJJHRCKCJY
MUSC’s Innovation Showcase extends beyond the Charleston campus, with each Region hosting its own poster session during Innovation Month. These regional showcases highlight the creativity and problem‑solving happening across MUSC’s statewide system, giving care teams the opportunity to share ideas, spotlight local innovation, and contribute to enterprise‑wide improvement efforts.
Event featuring vendors, live demonstrations, and engagement with tools that support research, clinical care, and education. It provides a broad view of the innovation ecosystem at MUSC.
Discover how MUSC prepares the next generation of healthcare professionals with a behind‑the‑scenes tour of the MUSC Healthcare Simulation Center. The center offers a unique look at how MUSC drives excellence in education, teamwork, and innovation across the health sciences. Tours have a maximum of 20 participants at one time.
This event highlights student-driven innovation, where participants present healthcare solutions for a chance to receive funding. It supports entrepreneurship, interdisciplinary collaboration, and applied problem-solving.
The Innovation Showcase on the Greenway is a highlight of Innovation Month, featuring a poster session where MUSC employees and students can review innovative projects and vote on the “People’s Choice” award. The event transforms the Greenway into a lively space for collaboration, complete with treats and activities that reflect MUSC’s commitment to a vibrant culture of innovation.
This panel will feature members of the AI Institute and will focus on AI frameworks for MUSC, development of an introductory AI course, and strategies for AI implementation in education. This session is intended to provide a strategic vision for AI across the institution.
Focus:
MUSC is celebrating the 30th anniversary of Humanitas, the university’s longstanding humanities journal, with its annual release event recognizing the creative and intellectual contributions of students, faculty and staff.
Immediately following the AI panel, this event highlights the evolution of innovation at MUSC, showcasing key milestones in healthcare, education, and research while connecting past advancements to future initiatives.
Focus:
Evolution of innovation at MUSC
Key milestones in healthcare, education, and research
Connecting past breakthroughs to future innovation
This session will feature real-world examples of patient-specific 3D printing and clinical applications developed in collaboration with MUSC Children’s Hospital, demonstrating the impact of innovation on patient care and education.
An energetic, interactive forum designed to elevate teaching and spark cross‑disciplinary collaboration. The event features 7‑minute lightning sessions where faculty and staff share practical, high‑impact strategies that can be applied immediately in classroom, clinical, and lab environments. This format promotes idea exchanges, innovation in education, and community building across MUSC. Attendees can participate in person or virtually, making it accessible for educators across the institution.
South Carolina has a thriving innovation ecosystem and knowledge economy. With an ecosystem of strong partners in the government, academic and entrepreneurial sectors, collaboration is taking place every day and in every conversation. Innovation Awareness Month partners are committed to building the state’s innovation and knowledge economy for a better South Carolina.
Since 2022
