Center for Translational Research
April 8—From Lab to Launch: Founder and Funder Perspectives on SBIR/STTR: Register Now
Secure non-dilutive funding to translate your invention into real-world impact
The Center for Translational Research (CTR) mission is to bring to market innovations from the ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ, Colorado Springs and Denver campuses (except CU Denver biosciences investigators, who should work withÌý) through non-dilutive funding.Ìý
As a resource for startups partnering with or originating from the university seeking non-dilutive funding—including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) awards—the center advises on best practices for securing non-dilutive capital, provides market research and industry analysis and offers proposal editing and critique. The center aims to secure funding for the translation of university technologies, thereby bolstering the impact of the inventions made on our campus.
Center Services
- Locating appropriate grant mechanisms for a given technology and principal investigator (PI)
- Advising on team formation, company formation and proposal topic strategy
- Coordinating proposal preparation schedule, materials, preliminary work and market research
- Coaching research teams in customer discovery and value proposition generation
- Researching market sectors and differentiating factors of inventions
- Detailing overarching industry trends and forces
- Providing market research and industry analysis
- Aligning the draft proposal with solicitation requirements
- Copyediting the draft proposal for grammatical suggestions and edits
- Advising on proposal structure and arguments
Eligibility for Center Services
The center works with faculty, staff, students and startups in partnership with the University of Colorado. The center is here to support you if:
(A) your commercialization grant application is to developÌýintellectual property that is eligible for management by Venture Partners,
...or...
Ìý
(B) a portion of the funded work under your grant application will be performed at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ã½Æƽâ°æÏÂÔØ.
If you have questions about your eligibility, please contactÌýSarah Hughes, director of the Center for Translational Research.
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Translational Funding Opportunities
The Center for Translational Research supports small-business staff or university researchers in a range of funding and fellowship opportunities to develop early-stage research and development efforts and innovation. These are a few of the grant types the center supports.
For the OEDIT Advanced Industry Grants, the eligible technology must impact at least one of the following advanced industries: advanced manufacturing, aerospace, bioscience, electronics, energy and natural resources (including cleantech), infrastructure engineering, technology and information.
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Provides up to $150,000 in funding to help Colorado research institutions speed up applied research in advanced industries and commercialize products and services with the private sector. The research institution must have aÌý1-to-3 (institution-to-state) cash match.
Helps Colorado-based advanced industries technology businesses develop and commercialize technologies that will be created or manufactured in Colorado. The small business can apply to receive up to $250,000 per project and demonstrate a 2-to-1 (company-to-state) cash match.
Past CU Awards
The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, also known as America’s Seed Fund, award non-dilutive funding to U.S. small businesses to help advance their technology and chart a path toward commercialization. This federally funded program has served as a significant source of R&D funding for small businesses since its inception in 1982. The program consists of three phases: Phase I Proof of Concept, Phase II Technology Development and Phase III Commercialization.
The following eleven federal agencies participate in the SBIR Program, and the first six also participate in the STTR Program: Department of Defense, Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Department of Energy, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Agriculture, Department of Homeland Security, Department of Commerce NOAA and NIST, Department of Education, Department of Transportation and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).Ìý
Each agency has nuances in how it runs its programs and makes awards, such as different funding topics, award amounts and timelines. The center can help you determine which agencies may be the right fit for your technology and business, and understand how to get registered and apply for SBIR/STTR awards.
Past CU Awards
- (2025)
- (2025)
The U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) launched a new funding opportunity in 2025 to support the translation of research into practice, ensuring that the insights and innovations developed through scientific study and experimentation have tangible, positive impacts on the nation.Ìý
Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) and non-profit, non-academic organizations are eligible to apply for awards under three program tracks.
West Gate provides innovators with a two-year fellowship consisting of an entrepreneurial development curriculum,Ìý an annual living stipend to de-risk their technologies and receive specialized entrepreneurial training, and to $150,000 worth of technical assistance redeemable at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR).ÌýWest Gate is administered by on behalf of the U.S. Department of Energy's.
Past Awards
Activate hosts a two-year U.S. fellowship program designed to transform scientists and engineers into founders and bring their research to market. Through the fellowship, they provide early-stage science entrepreneurs with funding, technical resources, mentorship and access to their network of scientists, engineers, investors, commercial partners and fellow entrepreneurs. Their fellowship is organized around communities, Anywhere (virtual), Berkeley, Boston, Houston, New York and Singapore..
Innovation must align with one of their 16 sectors, including: advanced manufacturing and robotics; built environment; carbon management / CO2e; chemistry and materials; climate; computing; earth resources; electronics and connectivity; energy generation and delivery; energy storage and batteries; food and agriculture; industrial biotechnology; life science; space and aeronautics; transportation and mobility; and water.
