Early Innovation Fund

Early Innovation Fund is sponsored by University of Minnesota, Research & Innovation Office. A competitive funding program for the entire University of Minnesota research community to fund short-term projects that advance early-stage innovations. Funding is offered twice a year, in the spring and fall, and some cycles may be topic-specific.

Early Innovation Fund | Research & Innovation Office This opportunity is open to all UMN researchers and employees, including faculty, postdocs, graduate students, and staff. Funding is offered twice a year, in the spring and fall, with a goal of advancing a diverse portfolio of innovation opportunities across all campuses, colleges, and disciplines. Some funding cycles may be topic specific.

We encourage all to apply, especially those who have never worked with the Tech Comm office previously. For more Early Innovation Fund project examples, read about our past award recipients . Spring 2026 Special Call: Biological Innovations The Spring 2026 Early Innovation Fund (EIF) cycle is exclusively dedicated to biological inventions.

We are seeking projects that require "wet-lab" validation or scale-up. Projects considered out-of-scope for this cycle include software and medical devices.

For the 2026 spring EIF, we are considering inventions that manipulate or utilize biological systems, for example: Medical biotechnologies: novel protein engineering, genetic engineering, or biochemistry Industrial & green biotechnologies: enzyme engineering and fermentation, bio-based chemicals, materials and fuels, environmental bioremediation technologies Therapeutics: early-stage drug candidates or delivery mechanisms (excluding the delivery device itself) Ag-tech & horticulture: new crop varieties, soil microbiome enhancements, natural pesticides, functional foods, nutraceuticals, food processing & safety The Early Innovation Fund is designed to help advance the technology readiness of an innovation through a variety of means, including support for Materials or resources to advance an innovation (e.g., buying/renting equipment or purchasing materials) Access to services, expertise or personnel to complete a task that advances the technology (e.g., student worker) Dissemination or implementation of innovations to generate user feedback Entrepreneurial exploration (e.g., travel for customer conversations that are part of MIN-Corps or I-Corps programs) Bio-Material Characterization Pilot scale demonstration Building a small product inventory Fabrication / Prototyping Validation in lab or simulated environment Tech Comm is open to proposals for other types of projects (not listed above) focusing on innovations that are clearly beyond the basic research stage.

The proposed project is centrally focused on one or more of the in-focus topic areas listed above. Clear, achievable goals/milestones Work must be completed within 6-12 months following funding. Failure to complete the project in the designated timeframe may result in forfeiture of any unused funds.

A clear plan on where/how follow-on funding will be sourced Lead investigator who is employed at UMN UMN-owned innovation and/or intellectual property (IP) Projects related to IP that already have an issued patent or a non-provisional patent application will not be considered. Projects with an existing provisional patent application will be considered . Project must initially be at technology readiness level (TRL) 2-4 .

The Early Innovation Fund is intended to support early ideas, however the Project proposal must be beyond the idea/concept stage (TRL 0-1). Basic principles must already be established and supported with early data and/or findings. Please highlight the existing data or know-how in the submission.

Updates to the funding manager two times per year until project completion . Failure to provide timely updates may result in forfeiture of any unused funds. April 13, 2026 - Application opens May 22, 2026 - Submissions due July 1, 2026 - Awardees announced Apply here: z.

umn. edu/EarlyInnovationFund (opens on April 13) Frequently Asked Questions What is the funding source for this program? Awards are funded by Technology Commercialization , within the Research and Innovation Office at the University of Minnesota.

Award budgets are set up with a UMN chartstring that is shared with the PI for project-related expenses. Awards are not issued through SPA, and do not include any indirect (F&A) expenses. PIs are responsible for the management of the chartstring budget and compliance with UMN Finance policies during their award period.

Can I submit more than one project application in this cycle? Yes, however one of the objectives of the Early Innovation Fund (EIF) is to fund a diverse range of projects across multiple technology areas. As a result, it is highly unlikely that more than one project will be funded for a specific individual/team in a cycle.

If a project isn’t funded in one cycle it can be resubmitted for consideration in subsequent funding cycles. We also work closely with other funding organizations and have been able to get a few projects funded outside of the standard EIF process.

The application specifies that Projects must be based on a new Intellectual Property Disclosure Form (IPDF) recently submitted to Tech Comm, or advancement of an existing IP Case to support the filing of a new patent application. What does this mean? If I am working with people from other institutions on this project, will it still be considered for funding?

As long as the University has an ownership stake in the technology, it can be considered for EIF funding. One of the requirements of EIF is that the technology is owned by the University, and this includes technology that is co-owned with other institutions. In the ‘Project Team Members’ section of the EIF application please state whether any team members have dual appointments or other employment agreements outside the university.

Other external institutions or companies that provide services which could help advance the technology can also be engaged to help advance a project. How much detail do I need to provide for questions related to Project Basis, Current Roadblocks, or Milestones? Generally, we're looking for no more than a few paragraphs in each of those sections.

In the end, it's up to the applicant to provide enough information to make sure we have clarity on the who, what, when, why, how of the project, but we're certainly not seeking a fully referenced, highly detailed proposal. We will also follow up if there are questions that come up during our review. Is it OK that this project is only a portion of a larger plan to help move this technology closer to commercialization?

We are seeking projects that can be completed within a year of the receipt of funding and recognize that the awarded amount will typically only bridge a portion of the commercialization gap. We appreciate individuals/groups who have thought through the steps required to prove out their technology, and are able to define projects which advance the technology to the next logical milestone or decision point.

We also value groups that can articulate what the next logical source of funding is beyond the completion of the EIF project. What types of expenses can I include in the budget for my project? Which expenses aren’t allowed?

The one item that we typically exclude from project budgets is salaries/overhead for faculty, staff, or graduate students working on the project during the school year.

Budgets can include: Costs for purchasing or renting materials, equipment, or other resources Fees to access specialized services, expertise, or personnel Costs associated with hiring workers (including students) to carry out specific tasks Expenses (e.g., travel) related to generating user/customer feedback or other entrepreneurial activities What criteria are used to determine which projects receive funding?

As stated previously, one of the primary objectives of EIF is to fund a diverse range of projects across multiple technology areas. We generally receive a significant number of applications in each cycle and only have funding for a small percentage. Specific review considerations include, but are not limited to, the following: Will the project advance the technology readiness of the innovation and move it closer to commercialization?

Are the project goals likely to be achieved through the proposed work plan and within the proposed timeline and budget? Are impediments to timely completion adequately anticipated and addressed? Does the team include appropriate expertise and collaborations to complete the proposed scope of work?

Are there alternative, more logical funding sources available to fund a project of this nature (e.g. MVP Challenge , BBIC , DSAI Seed Grant , ODAT )? What are my obligations if I receive an award? Funding will be awarded with the expectation that the recipient(s) adhere to the stated work plan.

Deviation from the stated work plan without prior approval may result in a revocation of project funding. We also expect brief updates on project progress approximately every 6 months until completion. Send any inquiries to [email protected] .

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