Proof of Concept (POC) Grant Program
Efforts to enable the transition and commercialization of inventions created at Virginia Tech support our institutional mission of improving the quality of life and the human condition within the Commonwealth of Virginia and throughout the world. Many faculty, graduate students, and staff are interested in participating in the innovation economy and seeing their work translated into successful products, services, and start-ups. Virginia Tech’s LINK, LICENSE, & LAUNCH are dedicated to fostering a culture of innovation and supporting these important activities. Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties (VTIP), in partnership with LICENSE & LAUNCH, is seeking proposals from Virginia Tech faculty, graduate students, and staff interested in moving novel early-stage technologies derived from university research out of the laboratory and into the marketplace through Proof-of-Concept (POC) grant funding.
POC grant funds and associated support are an important tool for advancing innovations beyond the early research phases, helping investigators bridge the gap between basic science and commercialization through a more informed approach that is anchored in user, market and technical realities. While they are not intended to advance the scientific research itself, they are designed to inform applications and improvements of technologies and support subsequent funding opportunities in the Federal SBIR/STTR and NSF I-Corps programs as well from seed funds, startup accelerators, and early-stage investors. The Virginia Tech POC Program provides awardees non-dilutive grants of up to $50k in funding along with LICENSE & LAUNCH commercialization support services.
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