Are you ready to take the next step with your research and technology? Have a big question to answer? Need to generate key data or build a prototype? The Office of Innovation and Corporate Partnerships (OICP) has up to $75,000 per project available to help move your technology closer to market. The Growth Fund is a translational research fund intended to mature OU intellectual property to a higher technology readiness level and de-risk the technology for future licensees or startup company formation. This process will help you and your team gain valuable insight as to where the technology fits within the marketplace.
In the first phase of the Growth Fund, the team is encouraged to talk with potential licensees or customers to determine not only what problem the technology is solving but also what additional questions need to be answered before these potential partners are ready to take action. This first phase is a rolling application, and once approved, the team will be able to access up to $5,000 for items such as travel, relevant conference attendance, or research assistant time spent engaged in these entrepreneurial lead activities. Additionally, this first phase requirement can be met with several substitute programs such as iPath, StartUp OU, or other related programs.
Once these questions are answered and a corresponding research plan is developed, teams are encouraged to apply for the second phase of the Growth Fund, in which $75,000 can be used to execute this plan to move the technology toward commercialization. Phase II applications are solicited once a semester.
Projects eligible for either phase will need to have an intellectual property disclosure on file with the OICP.
If you would like to learn more about how the Growth Fund increase the impact of your research, please visit https://ou.edu/otc/growthfund or reach out to OTC at otc@ou.edu.
