Scientist to crowdfund their salaries

In what might be a first for a British university, a new researcher will have the chance to practice what they preach by crowd-funding their own salary. The researcher will effectively be among the first to understand how the research landscape might change in the wake of crowd-funding.

Yorkshire Innovation Fund helps spin-out companies through Bradford University

Funds are being made available to help smaller firms across Yorkshire collaborate with universities to develop new products, services and processes following a project led by Bradford University. The Yorkshire Innovation Fund has been launched, partly financed by European Union money, and will enable businesses to bid for funding of £10,000 to £30,000 depending on […]

SEC releases “crowdfunding” rule

The “crowdfunding” proposal, if adopted by the Securities and Exchange Commission, would be a major shift in how small U.S. companies can raise money in the private securities market. Private companies are currently allowed to solicit only accredited investors – those with a net worth of at least $1 million, excluding the value of their […]

Miller Lite sponsors $250K innovation challenge

Entrepreneurs are known for bringing cutting-edge innovation to the market. And Heman Au’s emerging Duo Kitchenware product is literally cutting edge. An Arizona State University senior studying industrial design, Au developed a two-handed knife and special cutting board for people with disabilities or diminished dexterity.

Cambridge University launches £50m spinout fund

Cambridge University has created a £50m technology investment company, backed by Arm Holdings and some of the city’s leading institutional investors, to help some of its most promising spinout companies. The fund is a recognition by the university of the critical need for equity finance to help spinout companies overcome the so-called “valley of death” that projects […]

Technical and community colleges claim their position in the future of innovation

You don’t have to have hundreds of millions of dollars in research expenditures, expansive research equipment and facilities, or a thick curriculum catalog to win in the world of innovation. Recently, leaders at technical and community colleges are beginning to bolster their relevance to industry and investors through creative commercialization, entrepreneurship, and innovation initiatives.

NIH centers program to fund translational work on medical technologies

The NIH Centers for Accelerated Innovations (NCAIs), funded by the NIH’s National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), will target technologies to improve the diagnosis, treatment, management, and prevention of heart, lung, blood, and sleep disorders and diseases. “The NCAIs will foster a transformational change in the way basic science discoveries move from the laboratory […]

University of Tennessee Research Foundation Launches Business Plan Competition for Academic-Affiliated Startups

The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) has announced the formation of a new business plan competition aimed at academic-affiliated startup companies. The competition, named Tennessee Venture Challenge (TVC), will be held in April 2014 and is designed to encourage students, researchers and community members to create new, sustainable businesses in the state of Tennessee. 

Colorado State University Takes Crowdfunding To the Next Level

Colorado State University, the first university in the state to open a web-based crowdfunding platform to potential donors, is taking its beta test to the next level. After a successful initial test of the Charge platform with 10 student businesses over the summer, Colorado State University is now piloting community-based fundraising for projects in the […]

Florida State University Student-Run Fund Yields High Educational Returns

They show up ten minutes early to investment meetings, manage million-dollar funds, check stock returns in their free time and at the end of the day… finish their homework? Allowing college students to manage a $1.2 million fund may seem surprising, but for participants in the College of Business Student Investment Fund, this experience sets […]