For Companies, Entrepreneurs & Investors
The Discovery to Impact team is a support system for UT inventors and entrepreneurs. We serve as a nexus between UT’s transformative innovations and the ecosystem of industry partners, investors and talent that brings those technologies to the market.
We solve problems by bringing our university’s technologies to the market through industry partners and startups. Our team also connects UT startups to the talent, capital, and support functions that will provide the foundation for their long-term viability and success.
We solve industry problems by:
- Curating available intellectual property;
- Connecting to research expertise for sponsored research and Industrial Affiliate Programs;
- Enabling access to UT’s immense research infrastructure;
- Facilitating connections throughout the innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem;
- Advancing collaborative research through the Texas+ Proof of Concept Awards.
We support startups by:
- Connecting new ventures to investors, mentors, and management talent;
- Funding development of early-stage ventures and addressing funding gaps in the market;
- Coaching startups in business management, attracting investment and non-dilutive funding, and identifying product/market fit;
- Providing fractional management for early-stage startups through the Entrepreneurs in Residence program.
Looking to license UT IP or fund research?
Explore UT Discoveries & Intellectual Property
Our expert team of business development specialists is dedicated to helping you find the best UT technologies for your specific needs. Not sure what you’re looking for? Our team can provide you with personal support and guidance.
Collaborate with UT
UT has research expertise and substantial infrastructure across a broad array of disciplines. Our business development specialists build relationships with our industry partners to understand their needs and forge strong connections to the research community.
UT Austin Startups
Discovery to Impact helps startups create a compelling concept, identify strong market opportunities, develop sound business and financial plans, and find people who can execute on promising opportunities.
Industrial Affiliates Programs
Industrial Affiliates Programs (IAPs) deliver a mutually beneficial pathway for industry and UT researchers to explore fundamental research topics together.
Work With UT
Philanthropy & Corporate Citizenship
The Corporate Relations team is here to help your company develop connections and build philanthropic partnerships with UT’s students, faculty and research units.
Student & Alumni Talent
UT Austin offers comprehensive employer engagement services to help organizations connect with top undergraduate, graduate, and alumni talent and build a diverse candidate pipeline to meet all your recruiting needs.
Continuing & Professional Education
Extended Campus connects organizations of all sizes and industries with UT Austin’s high-quality training taught by leading faculty at one of the nation’s top public institutions.
UT Leasing Options for Small Businesses
Innovation Tower
This is a first-of-its-kind class A office building in the Innovation District. With iconic architecture, outdoor gathering spaces, and numerous amenities, the tower is a prime location for startups or established companies seeking to be at the nexus of innovation between UT Austin and downtown Austin.
For more information, contact Dan Allen, executive director, Real Estate Finance and Asset Management
The Innovation Lab
Located at the JJ Pickle Campus in the EME Building, the Innovation Lab is a wet lab incubator space available to startups that have a license agreement with UT Austin. It’s equipped with 12-foot lab benches per startup and 21 feet of shared chemical fume hoods for early-stage startups to de-risk their technology toward a minimum viable product or proof-of-concept embodiment. New IP created in this space will belong to the startup company.
To inquire, visit the Texas Innovation Center.
UTech Dorm Room
Opened in 2011 in the College of Pharmacy, the UTech Dorm Room is wet lab research space that provides startup companies with facilities for developing bioscience technologies and evaluating commercialization potential. The UTech Dorm Room allows bioscience companies, both local and national, to benefit from a flexible space that allows them to advance technology ideas in an “intellectual property-free zone” (resident companies own their own IP when working in this space) towards applications that can be commercialized.
For more information, contact Janet Walkow, executive director and CTO, Drug Dynamics Institute, or Jeff Becker, administrative affairs manager for the College of Pharmacy.
Core Facilities & Service Centers
Core facilities and other research facilities at UT are shared research spaces that house specialized scientific instruments and provide expert consultation and services to innovators. These facilities charge users a predetermined rate and most are available to external customers.