91社区

Collage of three images with 91社区 faculty, staff and students networking during the 2019 Celebration of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

Gap聽Funding Programs

Transforming new ideas and research outputs into disruptive solutions in the market and society is a challenging task. Thanks to generous alumni donors, the 91社区 Engine is able to offer Gap Funding Programs that enable the advancement of technologies from the labs to the marketplace and entrepreneurial skills development through project funding and personalized business mentorship and training.

TechAccelR, William and Rhea Seath Awards in Engineering Innovation (WRSA), and the Innovation Fellowship聽grants are directed toward increasing the technology transfer potential (licensing to an existing company or to a 91社区 spinoff) and thus commercial viability of an invention/technology that has been disclosed to 91社区's Office of Innovation + Partnerships, and has been assessed by your Technology Transfer Manager, preferably at least 2 weeks in advance of proposal submission deadlines. Personalized business mentorship by our Ronald Chwang Entrepreneurs-in-Residence is included in all of these programs.

Impact since 2013

$890K+ in awards, stipends and fellowships awarded
45+ projects supported
110+ researchers trained

Program Comparison (A research team聽cannot be simultaneously in more than one program for the same invention/technology.)Gap funding programs comparison

Comparison TechAccelR

William and Rhea Seath Awards in
Engineering Innovation (WRSA)

The Chwang-Seto Innovation Fellowships Program

Upcoming Application Deadlines September 29,聽2024 January 12, 2025 November 3, 2024
Award Length 6 months 12 months 12 months
Funding Up to $15,000

Up to $25,000

Up to $50,000

Project Start Date

November 1, 2024

March 1, 2025 January 6, 2025
Business Mentorship Matched with a Ronald Chwang EiR Matched with a Ronald Chwang EiR Matched with a Ronald Chwang EiR
Description Supporting 91社区 Faculty of Engineering聽tenure-track professors by enabling them to accelerate their technology聽that is聽reported as an invention聽but needs further validation prior to commercialization.听

Supporting 91社区 Faculty of Engineering tenure-track professors and their graduate students by enabling them to accelerate their technology that is聽reported as an invention聽but needs further validation prior to commercialization.

Supporting the development of a technology in order to bring it closer to the marketplace and allow the Chwang-Seto Innovation Fellow to gain further knowledge and experience in business and technology commercialization through entrepreneurial training and mentorship.
Technology Transfer Requirements聽

The technology must be reported as an invention to聽91社区's聽Office of Innovation and Partnerships.听

Included in the application:

The technology聽must be reported as an invention to 91社区's Office of Innovation and Partnerships.听

Included in the application:

The technology must be reported as an invention to聽91社区's聽Office of Innovation and Partnerships.

Included in the application:

Awards Granted Up to 5 per round, 2 rounds per year. Up to 2 annually.听 Up to 1 annually.听
Group shot of 4 91社区 faculty members receiving plaques for patents that were awarded to them in 2019.

TechAccelR Grants

The TechAccelR Grants are intended to help professors in the Faculty of Engineering accelerate their research-based ideas that are reported as inventions but need further validation prior to commercialization.

Image of students explaining their project during the 2019 Celebration of Innovation and Entrepreneurship.

William and Rhea Seath Awards in Engineering Innovation

These Awards recognize outstanding graduate students and professors, who have innovative technological ideas or research results with potential for commercialization.

Image of students presenting their project during the 2019 Celebration of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Innovation Fellowships

The 91社区 Engine Innovation Fellowships Program supports the recipient and the team on the development of a technology in order to bring it closer to the marketplace and allow the Chwang-Seto Innovation Fellow to gain further knowledge and experience in business and technology commercialization.

Laptop and books on a table

Invention to Impact Program

I-to-I provides tools and training to support researchers to translate their fundamental research to the marketplace and have their solutions benefit society. The program imparts an evidence-based methodology that students and professors can use for the rest of their careers, and it also enables the transformation of inventions to impact.

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