Application
The spring 2024 Innovation Gap Fund cycle has concluded. Check back here for information about the fall 2024 cycle in the coming months.
The information packet for the next cycle is currently being updated.
Program description
The CoMotion Innovation Gap Fund provides more than $1 million per year in grants of up to $50K per project team to move University of Washington innovations to the next stage of commercial development and investment. The program supports proof-of-concept and go-to-market strategy activities to advance promising innovations that have the potential to enable new products and services.
Successful projects have used funds to research customer demand, research and validate markets, create prototypes, and initiate beta testing. Basic research is not supported.
Areas of focus for projects
Fundable projects will come from university researchers who propose sustainable solutions to pressing needs in:
- Life sciences
- Engineering
- Software/IT
- Social impact
Additional spring cycle funding tracks
The spring cycle of Innovation Gap Fund also includes funding tracks focused on the following sectors:
The Population Health Initiative brings together the University community and others to create a groundbreaking initiative that will advance the health of people around the world by leveraging capabilities and opportunities at the UW and beyond. Population health is a broad concept encompassing not only the elimination of diseases and injuries, but also the intersecting and overlapping factors that influence health. The Population Health award is co-funded by the Population Health Initiative at UW.
Eligibility
Who can apply?
Open to University of Washington faculty and postdoctoral researchers, graduate students, and undergraduate students who are working with UW research teams, where the innovations are at the pre-company or licensing stage. Students and postdocs must identify a faculty fiscal sponsor.
Eligibility requirements
- Projects must support the commercialization of innovations assigned to the University of Washington, with a Record of Innovation filed with UW CoMotion. Personally owned or private company-owned innovations are not eligible.
- At least one member of the applying team must have completed UW I-Corps or Idea to Plan programs for their innovation or receive the endorsement of their CoMotion innovation development manager.
Questions?
Disbursement and use of funds
Get funded and receive full-scale support from a team of experts
We award grants of up to $40,000 per project, with an additional $10,000 reserved for business development milestones. In addition, we will pair each team with a skilled CoMotion Advisor. Funds are awarded to researchers for direct project costs for up to 12 months. Applications are accepted each year in the spring and fall. Funds are awarded on a milestone-based schedule worked out with the Innovation Investments team. We strongly encourage that you use funds for product development and customer discovery purposes. No basic research will be funded. UW Principal Investigator salaries are not eligible for funding. Please discuss your proposed budget in advance with the Innovation Gap Fund team or your innovation development manager to identify other non-fundable expenses.
Evaluation Criteria
A final review committee of CoMotion and WRF staff, senior executives, and local investors will rank projects by market opportunity and likelihood that Innovation Gap Fund funding will influence the probability of the project making a social or commercial impact.
Make a gift to the Innovation Gap Fund
Past winners
The CoMotion Innovation Gap Fund has been helping UW research teams for more than a decade.