The Texas Innovation Center provides funding for faculty and students to commercialize their discoveries. This ranges from exploring product feasibility to conducting market discovery of customer demands to developing a proof-of-concept derived from a class project or lab research.
For Faculty
Innovation grants are part of the Texas Innovation Center’s resources to help the College of Natural Sciences and Cockrell School of Engineering faculty better prepare their technologies and discoveries for commercialization. They are designed to move forward pioneering research, translate it into impactful business ventures and close the funding gap between research and commercialization.
Innovation Grants enable projects with well-defined milestones to overcome hurdles, move toward the marketplace, and aim to help source other funding to continue creating a company.
Whether faculty are in the early stages of considering a startup venture or have established a company, we welcome them to apply. The awards below are intended to help ideas and concepts move forward to evaluate their commercial potential. This ranges from exploring product feasibility to conducting market analysis in customer demands to developing a proof-of-concept derived from a class project or lab research. Example uses of the awards include:
- Make, test or demo prototype
- Register and travel to a conference
- Travel to meet with key potential customers and investors
- Validate market and pricing models
- Assess customer demand
Awards range from $1,000 to $25,000, with funding renewals considered based on achieved milestones and progress toward goals. Please confirm your eligibility for each award.
Applications open Fall 2024.
For Students
These awards support the College of Natural Sciences, Cockrell School of Engineering and McCombs School of Business students to explore entrepreneurship and commercial viability of projects developed in classes and labs.
With the help of the Texas Innovation Center, students are provided with resources such as funding, mentoring and programming to develop their entrepreneurial skills and endeavors.
Whether students are in the early stages of considering a startup venture or have established a company, we welcome them to apply. The awards below are intended to help ideas and concepts move forward to evaluate their commercial potential. This ranges from exploring product feasibility to conducting market analysis in customer demands to developing a proof-of-concept derived from a class project or lab research. Example uses of the awards include:
- Make, test or demo prototype
- Register and travel to a conference
- Travel to meet with key potential customers and investors
- Validate market and pricing models
- Assess customer demand
Awards range from $1,000 to $25,000, with funding renewals considered based on achieved milestones and progress toward goals. Please confirm your eligibility for each award.
