GAP Insights: Why Proof of Concept Is Central to Deepening University–Investor Links
A recent study commissioned by UK Research and Innovation and authored by Tony Hickson examines how universities can strengthen engagement with investors by focusing earlier in the innovation lifecycle on proof of concept (POC) funding and support. The study recognizes that many promising university technologies struggle to attract private capital not because they lack potential, […]
GAP Insights: Malcolm Townes/Why Technology Readiness Levels Matter More Than We Admit in Tech Transfer
Recent research by Malcolm Townes offers an important and data-driven reframing of university technology transfer, placing technology maturity levels (TRLs) at the center of the discussion. The study examined university technology transfer from the private sector’s perspective, using a combination of patent application data from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and in-depth case analysis […]
GAP Pipeline Brief: Purdue University / Trask Innovation Awards
Award & Investment Overview Purdue University’s Purdue Innovates Awards program has allocated more than $250,000 in funding to support four early-stage translational projects that span concrete imaging technologies, soil moisture sensing, semiconductor test chip design, and augmented reality surgical navigation. The awards reflect Purdue’s active internal commercialization ecosystem, which deploys gap funding to help university […]
GAP Pipeline Brief: University of Texas at Austin / Supra Elemental Recovery Inc.
Award & Investment Overview Supra Elemental Recovery Inc., a spinout from The University of Texas at Austin, has launched with a $250,000 pre-seed investment from the university’s Discovery to Impact Seed Fund to commercialize a novel platform for recovering high-purity critical minerals from industrial byproducts, mine tailings, and electronic waste. The investment supports early validation […]
Crossroads Health Ventures Secures $21 Million for Life Sciences Innovation Pipeline – Building Indiana Business
Crossroads Health Ventures (CHV) announced its launch of a new early-stage venture fund created to accelerate the growth of Indiana’s life sciences startups and reinforce the state’s global leadership across human, animal, and plant health innovation. The fund has secured more than $21 million in commitments from strategic and institutional partners such as Eli Lilly […]
How the university turns royalties into a self-funding engine for innovation
Every year, university researchers discover potential new drugs, diagnostics, and medical devices that could transform patient care. Yet many of those ideas stall in the “valley of death,” the stretch between a promising experiment and a product mature enough to attract investors or industry partners. Rutgers has spent the past eight years working to change […]
CU Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology Awards 13 Seed Grants to Advance Vision Science Research
Thirteen multidisciplinary research teams with innovative projects to advance vision science have been awarded seed grants by the University of Colorado Anschutz Department of Ophthalmology’s Vision Science Research and Translation Accelerator (VISTA) Program. Seed grants support early-stage research projects, helping researchers build evidence to compete for larger, competitive state and federal grants. Each of these VISTA […]
GAP Insights: Vanderbilt Launches Therapeutic Institute to Transform Translational Research
Vanderbilt University has announced the launch of the Vanderbilt Institute for Therapeutic Advances (VITA), a new interdisciplinary hub designed to redefine drug discovery and biomedical innovation by integrating basic science, artificial intelligence, systems biology, and translational research. Sourced from Vanderbilt University news coverage, VITA is part of the university’s broader Discovery Vanderbilt initiative and builds […]
GAP Pipeline Brief: Oregon Health & Science University / Faculty Excellence and Innovation Awards
Award & Investment Overview Two Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) researchers have been awarded $750,000 in Faculty Excellence and Innovation Awards to support exceptionally creative research with significant potential to advance human health. The awards are distributed over three years through the Silver Family Innovation Fund to accelerate discovery, enable bold scientific exploration, and […]
Tulane alumni-backed venture fund reaches major milestone
A venture fund designed to help Tulane-born startups grow in Louisiana just hit a major funding milestone. 1834 Ventures announced that, less than six months after launching, it has reached 50% of its $20 million target fund size with anchor funding from the Collins C. Diboll Foundation and the Priddy Family Foundation. Anchor investors are […]