Our Ascender Grant program is an excellent resource for University of Utah researchers who lack the funding they need to continue their technology or invention development.
Oftentimes, researchers need extra resources to gather data, validate performance or prepare an invention for additional investment from entrepreneurs, investors and potential licensees. It can be hard to obtain that funding from traditional grants, so that’s where the Ascender Grant steps in.
To qualify for the grant, you have to be a University of Utah employee, have disclosed the technology to our office, and if its co-owned with another institution, the U has to be the lead. Those are the only criteria for applying or qualifying for the grant.
The application is simple. In three pages or less, the applicant needs to outline the PI background, the technology, proposed milestones, budget and any industry interest to date.
TLO will recommend people apply for the grant when we determine their technology fits, but faculty can also apply directly.
Once an application is submitted, our Innovation Management team will review it to make sure all the fields are complete and the applicant meets all the requirements. Then, we will ask subject matter experts from our technology accelerators, state and investment partners, and broader network to take a look at the application.
These additional reviewers will either recommend we fund the project or not based on the following criteria:
- Significance of problem or unmet need being addressed.
- Strength of solution/invention.
- Competitive advantage.
- Market potential.
- Successful completion of milestones will enable licensing or further investment from non-university sources (i.e. demonstrate superior performance, provide a minimum viable product, validate market, etc.).
- Milestones and tasks appear achievable within timeline and by project personnel.
- Planned expenditures seem reasonable and justified for project.
If the majority of reviewers recommend we fund your project, we will provide a notice of award. If your application is not funded, we will share the feedback from the reviewers, and there may be an opportunity to revise and resubmit your application.
Have more questions? Reach out to our team.
