University of Vermont Secures $6 Million NSF Award for INVEST

The University of Vermont received a $6 million National Science Foundation award to launch INVEST, an initiative designed to carry academic research into practical applications, new ventures and community solutions. UVM said the award comes through the NSF’s Accelerating Research Translation program.

INVEST stands for Identifying and Nurturing Vermont’s Emerging Strategic Technologies. The university said it will provide training, mentorship and seed funding to faculty members, graduate students and postdoctoral researchers.

Why does commercialization need its own program?

Sara Helms Cahan, associate vice president for research at the University of Vermont and director of INVEST, said:

“Researchers are trained to discover new things and solve difficult problems, but they do not always receive training in how to move those discoveries into the world. This initiative will create that bridge, giving researchers the skills, resources, and supportive environment they need to turn their work into something that people and communities can use.”

UVM said INVEST will provide training, seed money, mentoring, contact with prospective users and structured support for testing. Cahan’s diagnosis is straightforward: researchers need a bridge from discovery to use.

What will the $6 million initiative fund?

UVM said INVEST will focus on three research areas: food systems, complex systems and biomedical engineering. The initiative’s stated target applications are:

• Sustainable agriculture
• Digital technology
• Artificial intelligence
• Biomedical innovations serving rural and aging populations

The university said innovation incubators in each focus area will offer workshops, seminars, networking and structured mentorship. Researchers can test ideas, connect with prospective users and learn from entrepreneurs.

UVM will also develop graduate micro-certificates and certificates in research innovation and entrepreneurship. Innovation Fellowships will provide students with direct experience in technology development.

UVM is putting training, idea testing and early-stage capital into one research pipeline.

How will seed funding move ideas into use?

According to UVM, nine entrepreneurial research teams will receive competitive seed funding and support for prototyping, identifying users and evaluating potential paths. The university listed community implementation, licensing or startup formation as possible routes.

Bryn Loftness, translational research scientist and entrepreneur at the Vermont Complex Systems Institute, said: “For early-stage teams, non-dilutive funding is some of the hardest money to find, and the first $50,000 can open a lot of doors.”

Loftness’s comment identifies non-dilutive seed money as a critical early-stage input. UVM expects the largest awards to reach $150,000 over two years, while Loftness singled out the first $50,000 as a potential gateway for early teams.

UVM’s seed round will test whether research can identify users and a route into community implementation, licensing or startup formation.

What will INVEST produce?

During its first year, the program will establish a universitywide network and identify discoveries with potential societal benefits, UVM said. The university said subsequent work will support:

• Prototypes
• Patents
• Licenses
• Policy recommendations
• Additional funding

Cornell University will serve as UVM’s mentoring institution as the university develops its research translation capacity, according to UVM. UVM’s first-year work builds the network; later work targets the mechanisms that can carry discoveries into use.

What does INVEST mean for Vermont?

The initiative also aims to support Vermont’s economy, UVM said. The university said it will give students and researchers experience that can lead to local employment, new organizations and technology-based ventures aligned with the state’s priorities.

UVM’s program commitments include a universitywide network, nine competitively funded research teams and Cornell as the mentoring institution. The first-year network and nine-team seed round will test which discoveries have a funded path toward community implementation, licensing or startup formation.