Bridging the Gap. Together.
Convening a community of gap fund and accelerator program leaders to share, learn, and create commercial and investment connections.
The Community of Action for research institution innovation, proof of concept, startup, and venture gap fund and accelerator programs. Founded in 2018, the Gap Fund and Accelerator Program Community of Action (GAP COA) is the resource for university, hospital, and research institution leaders looking to evolve active or to support new gap fund/accelerator programs.
For more information, download the Overview
INFORM
ADVOCATE
CONNECT
INFORM. Advocate. connect.
Focused on Best Practices
Our goal is to create and expand access to insights, tactics and data, to support program improvement and stakeholder development
Assessing and Reporting Impact and Performance Metrics
Raising and Sustaining GAP Program Funding
Communicating the Value, Need, and Expectations
Coordinating GAP Programs with Campus Units and Priorities
Implementing GAP Policies and Incentives (P&I)
Managing Innovator Involvement in the GAP Process
Engaging Commercial and Investment Partners
Evaluating Technologies and Startups for Grants and Investments
Integrating with innovation hubs and ecosystem development
Cultivating GAP Management, Mentorship, and Student Programs
The Benefits of Membership
Joining the GAP Community of Action immediately brings you unmatched benefits and potential for success.
Engage and network with peer institutions and GAP leaders
Save resources and hours by leveraging innovosource and community experience
$8,500 in immediate value from access to archived reports/events
Connect to new sources of investment and commercial partnerships
What's Included in the GAP COA Membership?
Reports
Mind the Gap Report
Ongoing organizational access to most recent iteration of this, now 15 years strong, development guide to support current and aspiring fund that contains capital landscape review, program best practices, and impact measures (175 GAP/97 research institutions
GAP Tactical Reports
Survey reports from membership on approaches to different facets of their program process and impact to-date (e.g. GAP staffing and operations, forming advisory boards, etc.)
GAP Emerging Topic Reports
Organizational access to periodic reports on topics like student venture funds, crowdfunding, private and public program partnering, and research institution-industry collaboration
Events & Partnering
GAP Campus Collaborator Deep-Dives
Addressing challenges and showcasing opportunities through examples of successful collaborations between GAP and other campus units, like development/advancement, colleges/labs, alumni, corporate relations, and other groups (4/yr)
Model Review / Tactical Web-workshops
Emerging gap fund/accelerator showcases using a detailed review of structure, source of funds, process, support program and impact. Focus on specific program/ process approaches to address challenges (e.g. reporting impact, diligence, etc.). (4/yr)
COVERGENCE
Annual Summit
Annual summit for research institution gap fund/accelerator program leaders and corporate/investment partners. COA GAP members receive one complimentary registration
BRIDGE
Partners Program
Relationship-building program to connect research institutions, corporate innovation, and venture development groups through proof of concept projects and other partnering opportunities
Tools
COA Member Site
Online member forum, document and event archives, and member-member communication tools
Program/Process Documents
Repository of member documents related to their program or process such as gap fund program descriptions, advisory board structure, evaluation scorecards, pitch deck templates, impact reporting for leadership
For more information, download the Overview
Join Us.
Open to any research institution at any point in their gap fund/accelerator evolution.
Whether you have managed a program for years, just started thinking about it, or have hit a roadblock, you will find a home here.