GAP Pipeline Brief: University of Michigan / Volt Harbor MAC-BESS Energy Storage Platform
Award & Investment Overview University of Michigan spinout Volt Harbor has secured $2 million in seed financing from MFV Partners to accelerate commercialization of its MAC-BESS energy storage platform. Founded by former University of Michigan professor Al-Thaddeus Avestruz, Volt Harbor has licensed six patents from the university and is developing a modular energy storage architecture […]
Grit Road Partners to bridge Nebraska agtech scene with Purdue University innovation ecosystem – Silicon Prairie News
Grit Road Partners, the Nebraska-based venture capital firm supporting agtech advancements in the Midwest, announced its collaboration with DIAL Ventures, a Purdue University-affiliated venture studio centered on the ag and food space. Leaders of both organizations said they see this opportunity as a way to tap into each other’s networks while developing proven solutions to […]
Northumbria University helps launch £22.5m fund to turn research into new businesses
Northumbria University is one of five North East universities backing a new £22.5m fund designed to accelerate the region’s research into high-growth new businesses. The North East Spinout Inspire Fund, supported by £10m investment from the North East Mayoral Strategic Authority (MSA) and the North East Fund Ltd. and a total of £12.5m from Durham, […]
GAP Insights: MUSC / Building a Measurable Innovation Ecosystem
The Medical University of South Carolina has been recognized as one of the nation’s leading biomedical innovation institutions, ranking 44th nationally in the inaugural Cure Innovation Index and placing among the top 15% of evaluated institutions. While rankings often focus on outcomes, the more important story is the system MUSC has spent nearly a decade […]
UUK wants investment in university innovation doubled to £10bn
Universities UK has set a goal of securing around £10 billion a year in external investment for UK university innovation by 2035. The vice-chancellors group said the ambition, to be announced today at the UK Global R&D and Science Investment Summit in London, would double estimated annual external investment in university spinouts, startups and social enterprises from […]
Columbia University’s Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research Awarded $75 Million to Advance Healthcare Discoveries
The Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research has been awarded a seven-year, $75 million Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). As a cornerstone of clinical and translational research across Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), the Irving Institute drives translational […]
The Growing Role of Family Offices in GAP Programs and Research Translation
As research institutions continue building more sophisticated gap fund and accelerator programs (GAP), attention is increasingly focused on a familiar set of partners: government agencies, corporate innovation groups, foundations, venture capital firms, accelerators, venture studios, and angel investors. Yet one group remains surprisingly underrepresented in many university innovation and commercialization strategies: family offices. This is […]
GAP Insights: Academic Medical Centers / Building Commercialization Pathways for Clinician Innovators
Healthcare practitioners often have the clearest view of unmet clinical needs, yet few receive formal training in commercialization, venture development, or technology translation. Increasingly, academic medical centers are responding by building dedicated commercialization programs designed specifically to help clinicians transform frontline observations into market-ready solutions. Recent examples from Virginia Commonwealth University and University of Virginia […]
The Rise of Venture Formation Systems in Research Institutions
For decades, most university commercialization systems were built around a relatively straightforward objective: identify promising discoveries, protect intellectual property, and transfer innovations into the marketplace through licensing or startup formation. That model still exists. But the amount of development required between discovery and downstream engagement has expanded significantly. Across venture capital, angel investing, corporate innovation, […]
GAP Insights: Caltech / How Philanthropy Built a Lasting Commercialization Ecosystem
Philanthropic capital is often discussed as a source of research funding. At California Institute of Technology, philanthropy has played a much broader role by helping build the infrastructure, funding mechanisms, and culture that support technology commercialization. The latest example is an $11 million gift from the Gates Frontiers Fund, including $10 million to support equity […]