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	University Innovation Grant Fund
	Innovation Investment Fund
	Innovation Adoption Grant Fund

IW's investments and grants help fuel growth in:

• Early-stage technology companies
• with manufacturers seeking competitive advantage through new technologies, and
• in universities, the starting point for much of the region's innovation.

University Innovation Grant Fund
Advancing university R&D toward commercialization
The world-renown universities in the Pittsburgh region are a vital source of research and ideas, a starting point for innovation.  With an annual research cache of nearly $1 billion in federal grant money, the universities have vast potential for technologies and companies to spin out for commercialization.  IW works in partnership with technology transfer departments at local universities, including Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh, to identify and cultivate high-potential ideas, and provide grants to help speed commercialization.

IW provides University Innovation Grants to regional universities for:

• Technology validation
• Market research
• Prototype development
• Intellectual property evaluation

In addition to funding specific projects, IW collaborates with university partners to develop educational initiatives to demystify the commercialization process for university researchers. 

IW awarded 17 University Innovation Grants (UIG) during the first two years of the program. Some have continued on to receive additional funding through IW's Innovation Investment Fund for seed-stage companies. Click the link below to see a list of companies that have become UIG recipients.

Apply for UIG Funding
View UIG Fund Companies
Contact Us if you have questions

Innovation Investment Fund
Priming high-potential early-stage companies for growth and investment
During the critical first years of a company’s development, an entrepreneur faces many challenges, often for the first time. IW professionals provide the advice and guidance to help the entrepreneur understand his options and select the responses that are most appropriate for his business and his aspirations. During the course of this interaction, some entrepreneurs develop business plans that merit investment consideration — those companies that have the greatest potential for positive economic impact on Southwestern PA, and are most ready for early-stage funding. In a typical year, of the 200-plus companies that initiate a relationship, up to 15 companies may receive first-time funding.

• Build management teams
• Develop strategies for entering their respective markets, and
• Test and launch their products into those markets.

Investments are targeted to support the execution of a focused business plan that addresses specific business challenges associated with developing and launching a new technology-based product. These efforts and resources are intended to position the company for successful transition into commercialization and attraction of the needed resources at that time. Investments are sized to the needs of the business plan, typically ranging in size from $100,000 to $250,000, and are often milestone-based.

In the past eight years, IW has invested more than $37 million in 107 companies. Subsequently, these companies have attracted more than $440 million in follow-on capital.

Apply for II Funding
View II Fund Companies
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Innovation Adoption Grant Fund
Helping Manufacturers Gain A Competitive Edge
Manufacturers today face intense market pressure while trying to compete in a global economy.  Price pressures from international markets, escalating costs for production, the need to invest in R&D for new products and processes…all of these factors can make it increasingly difficult for a business to thrive.

IW's Innovation Adoption Grant (IAG) Fund links manufacturers in Southwestern PA with the region’s Centers of Excellence, giving them access to highly specialized scientists and engineers for R&D projects, including: product engineering and design, robotic assembly, machinery design, rapid prototyping, or even an industrial analysis and overhaul of existing manufacturing processes.  IW has engaged several Centers of Excellence to date, including:

• University of Pittsburgh’s
  • Swanson Center for Product Innovation
  • Manufacturing Assistance Center
• Catalyst Connection
• Duquesne University’s Industrial Growth Works
• Robert Morris University’s Center for Applied Research in Engineering and Science
• Penn State University’s
  • Materials Research Institute
  • Electro Optics Center
  • Plastics Technology Center
  • Plastics Manufacturing Center
• National Center for Defense Manufacturing and Machining
• Electrotechnology Applications Center at Northamption Community College

There are more than 100 such Centers of Excellence across Pennsylvania that IW can tap for IAG projects.

Apply for IAG Funding
View IAG Fund Companies
Contact Us if you have questions