How would you describe the need for gap funding/accelerator programs to someone outside of the university tech commercialization/innovation community?  

University research presents a compelling opportunity for commercialization, but sometimes the innovation itself may not be ready for license into a company. Certain questions need to be addressed: Do we need a prototype to illustrate that the invention can be physically built? Do we need a feasibility study? Would we be better positioned if we had a better understanding of the regulatory issues that influence application or product development? To address these types of questions, many universities offer gap funding to help advance inventions and prepare them for license.