Translational Funding Resources and Events
April 8—From Lab to Launch: Founder and Funder Perspectives on SBIR/STTR: Register Now
Unlock Funding to Move Your Research or Venture Forward
Through educational events held throughout the year—alongside resources and expert guidance—the Center for Translational Research (CTR) connects researchers and startup teams with key non-dilutive funding opportunities and helps them navigate the path to competitive proposals.
Events and Opportunities
Wednesday, April 8, 9:30-11 a.m.
In Person at BaseCamp (Pearl East Innovation Campus, 4909 Pearl East Cir, Boulder) or Virtually Via Zoom
All Are Welcome—CU Affiliation is Not Required
Add to Calendar:
From Lab to Launch: Founder and Funder Perspectives on SBIR/STTR
Join this discussion on translational research funding, with a focus on the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs. Get a practical overview of the programs—including updates on recent developments—learn how to refine your funding strategy, and explore the resources at the Center for Translational Research (CTR) to support your next steps. Bring your questions for a panel of founders who have received SBIR/STTR awards and a federal program manager overseeing their agency’s SBIR/STTR portfolio.
Featuring
Translational Funding Week
Unlock Funding to Move Your Research or Venture Forward
Are you a university researcher, inventor or deep tech founder exploring ways to translate your innovation into real-world impact? Join us for Translational Funding Week—a series of engaging lunchtime sessions designed to demystify the landscape of non-dilutive funding opportunities that support the journey from lab to market. These sessions are tailored to faculty, postdocs, PhD students and startup teams who want to learn how to secure early-stage funding to commercialize research, build ventures and scale innovation.
Whether you're applying for the first time or looking to sharpen your funding strategy, Translational Funding Week will connect you with insights, tools and experts to accelerate your path forward.
Topics
- NavigatingSmall Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR)grants across federal agencies
- The Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Grant Program
- Opportunities through the NSF ASCEND Engine in Colorado and Wyoming and other regional resources
- How to align your innovation with funder priorities
- Tips from successful applicants and agency insiders
Whether you're applying for the first time or looking to sharpen your funding strategy, Translational Funding Week will connect you with insights, tools and experts to accelerate your path forward.
Resources
Commercialization Text for Grant Writers
Full Text - 430 Words
Venture Partners at Ҵýƽ is the commercialization arm of Ҵýƽ, UCCS, and CU Denver (except CU Denver biosciences) and a recognized national leader in translating university research into market-ready solutions and products, having received the 2021 Innovation Award from the APLU. Venture Partners provides an array of resources for researchers to commercialize their innovations, including intellectual property management, entrepreneurial training, an external mentor network, translational grant funding, a startup accelerator, an investor network, and an affiliated venture capital fund.
With over 300 patent applications filed each year, Venture Partners has a well-established intellectual property management system. Importantly, Venture Partners has a streamlined licensing process calledLicensing with EASE®, which ensures that the university’s patents are made available under transparent, reasonable, and pre-negotiated rates, simplifying and accelerating the licensing process.
Entrepreneurial training is provided through theNational Science Foundation’s I-CorpsTM Hub West. Venture Partners offers the renowned I-Corps methodology, designed to teach scientists and engineers the skills to test and validate product-market fit. Participants learn and apply the fundamentals of “customer discovery,” an experiential process to map out the ecosystem surrounding a technological innovation, and then test the value proposition for that innovation through key stakeholder interviews. The I-Corps programs at Ҵýƽ are available to all university innovators, lead to grant funding opportunities with NSF, and are essential training for aspiring startup founders and inventors who wish to partner their technology with established corporate partners.
Venture Partners offers translational grants for researchers with high-potential inventions through theLab Venture Challenge (LVC). LVC awards $125,000 grants to help de-risk the technology to get it ready for commercialization ($100k) and fund early business development expenses ($25k).
For innovators with startup aspirations, theAscent Deep Tech Startup Creator, designed specifically for startup founders building companies around science and engineering innovations, provides basic training in building a new company, including finance, raising capital, and product development. For startup company funding, Venture Partners offersSBIR/STTR grant-writing assistance,an annual investor showcase, and a fully integrated partnership withBuff Gold Ventures, a $25 million venture capital fund that invests exclusively in Ҵýƽ startup companies.
The impact of Venture Partners is well supported.CU ranked in the top 5 of all US universities in 2021 for startup creation, according to AUTM. In 2024, Ҵýƽ produced 35 spinout companies, one of the highest totals ever by any university.A study by Brian Lewandowski at the Leeds School of Business determined that between 2018 and 2022, Venture Partners’ commercialization activities resulted in an $8 billion national economic impact, including 39,000 supported jobs.