GAP Insights: Why CU Boulder’s Embark Model Gets Founder+Technology Alignment Right
The University of Colorado Boulder has announced the 2026 cohort of its Embark Deep Tech Startup Creator. Sourced from CU Boulder Venture Partners, Embark represents one of the more thoughtful responses to a persistent challenge in university commercialization: aligning the right talent with the right technology at the right moment. Anyone who has worked in […]
GAP Insights: Why Companies Use Academic Partnerships to Invest in Basic Research
An article sourced from LSE Business Review explores why companies are increasingly partnering with universities to invest directly in basic research rather than focusing solely on applied development or near-term commercialization. The analysis shows that many corporate-academic partnerships are structured around foundational science with no immediate product requirement. Companies engage in these collaborations to co-develop […]
GAP Pipeline Brief: Research Manitoba / Innovation Proof-of-Concept Grants
Award & Investment Overview Research Manitoba has awarded more than $1.7 million through its Innovation Proof-of-Concept Grant program to support 16 early-stage research projects led by Manitoba-based researchers and academic industry teams. The funding is designed to help validate feasibility, develop prototypes, and advance promising research toward commercialization, licensing, or applied deployment. The awards reflect […]
GAP Pipeline Brief: University of Cambridge / Bit.bio
Award & Investment Overview Bit.bio, a University of Cambridge spinout specializing in human cell engineering, has raised $50 million in a new funding round to support global expansion and product growth. The round is led by M&G with a $32 million equity investment, alongside a $20 million venture debt facility provided by BlackRock. The financing […]
Yale Ventures Opens 2025-2026 Faculty Accelerator Fund Applications
Yale Ventures is excited to announce that applications for the 2025-2026 accelerator funds open on September 2, 2025. Yale accelerator funds are open to faculty innovators and their teams working on cutting-edge translational research in the life sciences, digital health, autoimmunity and allergic disease, engineering, and physical sciences. To date, Yale accelerator funds support faculty […]
U2V launches €60M fund to focus on university deep tech
Europe produces world-class scientific research from its top universities, yet struggles to convert breakthroughs into global companies, leaving many innovations trapped in labs. U2V, short for University2Ventures, addresses this through its newly closed €60 million Fund I, which targets pre-seed and seed-stage deeptech spin-offs in AI, novel computing, industrial tech, and cleantech. The Berlin-based firm […]
MassVentures Launches New Center to Support Academic Inventors and Entrepreneurs
Boston — Today, MassVentures announced the launch of the rebranded Massachusetts Academic Spinouts Center (MASC), formerly known as the Mass Tech Transfer Center, to accelerate academic spinout company formation and success. MASC will engage with the entrepreneurial ecosystem and Massachusetts’ world-class academic institutions and research labs to help inventors, researchers, and entrepreneurs to bring their innovations to market. […]
GAP Insights: University of Pennsylvania, BioNTech, and OUP Launch $50 Million Life Sciences Venture Fund
According to reporting sourced from Business Wire, the University of Pennsylvania has joined with BioNTech and Osage University Partners to launch a $50 million life sciences venture fund aimed at accelerating early-stage companies emerging from university research. The fund will focus on startups developing therapeutics, diagnostics, research tools, and AI-driven drug discovery platforms. The fund […]
GAP Impact: European Universities / 76 Spinouts Reach Unicorn or Centaur Status
According to a recent analysis reported by TechCrunch, 76 European deep tech university spinouts have reached unicorn or centaur valuation status, underscoring the growing commercial strength of research-derived companies across Europe. These companies span sectors such as AI, life sciences, advanced materials, energy, and quantum technologies, areas typically associated with longer development timelines and higher […]
WPI gets $3M gift for innovation and commercialization
WORCESTER—Worcester Polytechnic Institute has received a $3 million gift from alumnus Paul Covec ’64 to support innovation, entrepreneurship and commercialization efforts led by faculty and students, the university announced. The gift establishes the Paul A. Covec ’64 Innovation and Commercialization Fund, an endowed resource designed to help promising ideas move from concept to marketplace. The […]