Federal Funding for Innovations

The National Science Foundation’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps™) is a federally funded program to accelerate academic research projects that are ready to move toward commercialization. Teams who complete a Regional NSF I-Corps Hub Northwest course, have a relevant current/previous NSF research award, or by agreement with the NSF are eligible to apply for the National NSF I-Corps program, a 7-week training that comes with a $50,000 NSF grant for customer discovery. Teams conduct 100 customer discovery interviews, validate their customer ecosystem, and receive a much deeper understanding into all the different stakeholders who influence whether or not their technology is adopted.

ITHS offers funds for novel, innovative, and collaborative translational and clinical research. We also engage in collaborative partnerships with non-ITHS programs that provide funding for more targeted research opportunities. Please check each funding opportunity for specific eligibility criteria, which are dependent on the requirements of the funding sources. These criteria may be based on topic area, academic affiliation, geography (e.g., Puget Sound area, WWAMI region), or other factors.

The Population Health Initiative seeks to create a world where all people can live healthier and more fulfilling lives. In support of that vision, the initiative is pleased to offer population health pilot research grants that are intended to encourage the development of new interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators – and with community-based partners – for projects that address critical challenges to population health.

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, collectively dubbed “America’s Seed Fund,” are US government initiatives designed to support startups and other small businesses in developing and commercializing innovative technologies in the national interest. SBIR and STTR provide more than $2.5 billion in grants and contracts each year to small businesses and startup companies to develop new products and services based on advanced technologies.

The CoMotion SBIR/STTR Application Support Program helps UW research teams and spinoffs pursuing Phase I grants and navigating the application process, providing tools and expert guidance on how to develop a competitive proposal. Email Ryan Buckmaster, director of innovation investments at CoMotion for application information.