For Campus Inventors & Entrepreneurs
Are you a UT researcher, staff member, or student with an idea or technology you think has potential? You’ve come to the right place. Discovery to Impact can help.
Disclose an Invention
During your research, you may have discovered a potentially valuable discovery. Presenting, publishing, or speaking about your work before UT files a patent application can greatly reduce the value of the intellectual property, which could hamper efforts to move your invention into products and services that benefit people. Discovery to Impact can help take you through the process. The best time to disclose an invention to Discovery to Impact is often just as you start preparing your first public (non-confidential or academic) disclosure. This gives us time to properly evaluate your invention and consider filing a patent application at the same time as you prepare your publication.
Life Sciences Invention Disclosure
Software Copyright Disclosure
Physical Sciences and Engineering Invention Disclosure
Authorship Copyright Disclosure
(e.g. curricula, books, movies)
Inventors, email your completed disclosures to ip@discoveries.utexas.edu.
The Navigator
The Navigator connects UT researchers and students to more than 130 innovation and entrepreneurship resources across campus by centralizing them into one user-friendly search platform. From funding and mentoring to education and intellectual property support, use the Navigator to find what you need, quickly and easily.
51,991
students
13,067
staff
3,919
faculty
130+
resources
Entrepreneur’s Guide
A handbook for starting a business and leveraging funding opportunities and startup support services at UT Austin.
Discovery to Impact Funding Opportunities
Proof of Concept (POC) Awards
These provide competitive funding for faculty members or permanent researchers with principal investigator (PI) status to demonstrate the feasibility of their innovations to accelerate the process towards commercialization.
There are two different award types:
Texas Proof of Concept Awards
- Maximum value of $25,000 in POC funds
- No matching requirement
Texas+ Proof of Concept Awards
- Includes matching component
- Maximum value of $125,000 in POC funds
- Requires the applicant to secure matching funds from an industry partner, to be matched 1:1 by POC funds
Applicants from any UT college, school, or unit may apply for one or both awards, in any order. If a UT researcher wins both a Texas and Texas+ POC Award, total funding is limited to $125,000 for a specific innovation. Applicants can apply for multiple awards if they are for unique projects, and applicants can receive a maximum of two POC Awards per year.
Rolling Applications with Review Cycles Every Three Months
Click here for the Request for Applications or email Matt Sorenson, Innovation Program Manager, for more information.
SBIR/STTR
The federal Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs are non-dilutive grants referred to collectively as “America’s Seed Fund.” These programs provide key early-stage funding to companies developing technologies aligned with the research objectives of the federal funding agencies. See below for ways Discover to Impact can help you prepare and fund your work.
SBIR/STTR Bridge Awards
These UT awards assist federal SBIR/STTR Phase I awardees who are advancing UT Austin technologies to make their SBIR/STTR Phase II proposals more competitive. Awards are reviewed quarterly and are up to $30,000.
Application deadline: April 3, 2023
Click here for the Request for Applications or email Andrew Worden, Entrepreneurship Program Manager, for more information.
New to SBIR/STTR funding?
Learn more about the federal program and grants offered directly through the U.S. government.
Discovery to Impact Support Services
SBIR/STTR Intensive Workshops for NSF, DOD, and NIH
Get help preparing your SBIR/STTR proposals in these Discovery to Impact-sponsored workshops.
- For UT Austin-affiliated startups preparing SBIR/STTR Phase I or Phase II proposals. Work with expert proposal preparers/developers and ask questions specific to your proposal.
- Learn the details of agency-specific proposal preparation including electronic submission and commercialization plans.
Agency-specific workshops for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) are offered periodically. Check back soon to see what’s available or watch pre-recorded, on-demand webinars here.
On-Demand Webinar Library
Interested in SBIR/STTR funding but not sure where to begin? Writing your proposal and looking for expert guidance? On-demand webinars about SBIR/STTR programs and agency proposal requirements are available to the UT Austin community at no cost through our collaboration with BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting.
- View selection of webinars available here.
- To receive your coupon code to watch for free, register here.
Webinars run approximately 45-minutes or less. Once you access a webinar, it will be available to view for 90 days.
1:1 Proposal Assistance
For companies that have participated in our proposal preparation workshops and on-demand webinars, select 1:1 proposal preparation support may be available. Inquiries may be sent to Andrew Worden, Entrepreneurship Program Manager.