UK FACULTY AND STAFF
The Innovation Connect team is available to support collaborations with industry and nonprofits in the following areas:
- Collaborative Research Projects
- Connections to Industry and Nonprofit Partners
- Consortium Support
- Grant Programs for Translational Research
- Research and Innovation Events
Innovation Connect Resources and Programs
INDUSTRY INTEREST LIBRARY
The purpose of the Industry Interest Library is to provide UK faculty and staff with information on areas of interest companies have for research.
The presentations in this Library provide an overview of these areas of interest, including therapeutic or technological areas, clinical indications, and more. These presentations are not strictly confidential but are shared with the UK Innovate team with an understanding of discretion.
Access the Library (for UK faculty and staff ONLY)
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES PRIORITIZING CORPORATE PARTNERSHIPS
ARPA-E SCALEUP Program
The Seeding Critical Advances for Leading Energy technologies with Untapped Potential (SCALEUP) program builds on ARPA-E’s primary research and development focus to support the scaling of high-risk and potentially disruptive new technologies across the full spectrum of energy applications.
The goal of the program is to help ARPA-E-funded technologies, past and present, transition from proof-of-concept prototypes to commercially scalable and deployable versions of the technology and be well-positioned for investment from the private sector.
Small business, company, and industry participation is fundamental to the success of the SCALEUP program. SCALEUP teams must propose at least one Commercialization Partner, preferably one that represents the viewpoint and needs of the target customer, to help ensure market adoption for the technology after the completion of the SCALEUP project.
To be eligible for SCALEUP funds, teams must own/control subject invention(s) or software arising from ARPA-E award(s).
EDA Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs (Tech Hubs)
The Tech Hubs Program is an economic development initiative designed to drive regional technology- and innovation-centric growth by strengthening a region’s capacity to manufacture, commercialize, and deploy critical technologies. This program will invest directly in regions with the assets, resources, capacity, and potential to transform into globally competitive innovation centers in approximately 10 years while catalyzing the creation of good jobs for American workers at all skill levels, both equitably and inclusively.
The Tech Hubs Program is an investment in our future. This program will bring together a wide array of public, private, and academic partners into a collaborative consortium focused on regional economic development needs and unique growth opportunities. By growing these new centers of innovation throughout America, the Tech Hubs Program will help strengthen U.S. economic and national security.
The Tech Hubs Program was enacted as part of the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022 (as the Regional Technology and Innovation Hubs program). The statute authorized $10 billion for the program over five years. As part of the FY 2023 Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress appropriated EDA $500 million to launch the program.
The Tech Hubs Program seeks to ensure that the industries of the future—and their good jobs—start, grow, and remain in the United States. This program will invest in U.S. regions that are focused on technologies within or across the key technology focus areas outlined in the statute.
NSF Convergence Accelerator Program
Launched in 2019, the NSF Convergence Accelerator builds upon basic research and discovery to accelerate solutions toward societal impact. The program funds teams to solve societal challenges through convergence research and innovation. To enhance its impact, the Accelerator also places teams together in cohorts, synergizing their work through facilitated collaboration.
While the overarching goal of the program is to enable long-lasting societal impact, results for each solution and the way a solution transitions to societal impact will vary. Examples include:
- Integration of a solution into existing systems.
- Production of open-source tools and knowledge products.
- Expansion of a solution into new markets.
- Follow-on funding and investment.
NSF Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships (TIP)
The National Science Foundation announced on March 16 that it has established a Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships (TIP), which will focus on supporting “use-inspired” R&D. NSF Director Sethuraman Panchanathan said in a statement the directorate will work to “rapidly bring new technologies to market and address the most pressing societal and economic challenges of our time."
NSF Regional Innovation Engines
The Directorate for Technology, Innovation and Partnerships, or TIP, is pleased to announce the launch of a bold, new initiative called the NSF Regional Innovation Engines, or NSF Engines, program and funding opportunity. NSF Engines is committed to creating technology-driven innovation ecosystems throughout every region of the U.S., driving economic growth, addressing key societal challenges, and advancing national competitiveness.
SBIR and STTR Programs
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are highly competitive programs that encourage domestic small businesses to engage in Federal Research/Research and Development (R/R&D) with the potential for commercialization. Through a competitive awards-based program, SBIR and STTR enable small businesses to explore their technological potential and provide the incentive to profit from its commercialization. By including qualified small businesses in the nation's R&D arena, high-tech innovation is stimulated, and the United States gains entrepreneurial spirit as it meets its specific research and development needs.
Central to the STTR program is the partnership between small businesses and nonprofit research institutions. The STTR program requires the small business to formally collaborate with a research institution in Phase I and Phase II. STTR's most important role is to bridge the gap between performance of basic science and commercialization of resulting innovations.
