Upcoming webinar helps UC faculty get funding for commercialization

Looking at the National Academy of Inventors (NAI) list of the top 100 most innovative colleges in the United States list can tell you that much. However, taking those ideas and transforming them into marketable commercial products takes an entirely different skill set.

UC’s Venture Lab and Tech Transfer teams know that, so they set up a webinar on June 5 explaining how professors and other staff can find funding for commercialization. The free session, which is being put on in partnership with CincyTech and the Entrepreneurs’ Center in Dayton, Ohio, will run from 2 to 3:15 p.m.

Many UC faculty members question what product commercialization entails. Kate Harmon, the assistant vice president of UC’s Office of Innovation, said it involves “taking one’s research from the lab and seeing it viable in the open market.”

In essence, research conducted by UC faculty and staff can potentially be transformed into impactful, society-changing and compelling products. It’ll require additional effort, but the possible financial benefits may be worth it for enterprising and visionary faculty members.

Funding for commercialization doesn’t come easily. That’s why UC’s Venture Lab and Tech Transfer teams chose to host a webinar that breaks down the process concisely and methodically for interested Bearcat professors and staff members.

A key aspect of the webinar is highlighting how UC professors can use the available resources in the 1819 Innovation Hub. The Venture Lab, Tech Transfer team and CincyTech all have a physical presence in the 1819 building and can provide value to entrepreneurially minded professors.

Harmon, who heads up the Venture Lab, is “excited to highlight the abundance of resources and expertise” available to startups in southwest Ohio. In particular, the Venture Lab “supports the commercialization of scalable technology by providing programs, mentorship, funding and resources that support UC-affiliated students, faculty and staff, alumni and the local community.”

Between the Tech Transfer and Venture Lab teams, the 1819 Innovation Hub holds many of the resources needed to push an ingenious idea to market. Funding is still critically important, however, and the 1819 Innovation Hub provides plenty of help with this aspect.

While knowing about these startup resources is helpful, interested professors likely still need funding. It's worth looking to the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program and Ohio's Technology Validation and Startup Fund (TVSF) for potential funding.

Additionally, the following venture funds have a physical presence inside UC’s 1819 Innovation Hub:

• CincyTech
• Fireroad
• Lightship Capital
• Main Street Ventures
• UC's Venture Lab

The Dayton-based Entrepreneurs’ Center, which is co-hosting the webinar, runs EC Angels for startups seeking capital farther north. Paul Jackson, the center’s vice president of strategic programs, said successful startups require “a solid team, technology that solves a real market pain point and capital.” He said the Dayton Entrepreneurs’ Center can provide free help on all three fronts.

The June 5 webinar will list out potential sources of capital in southwest Ohio, but it’ll also give details about exactly how funding can be secured. Interested faculty members are highly encouraged to attend.

Funding for product commercialization abounds for startup-minded university members across southwest Ohio — but it requires knowing where to look. Signing up for the free June 5 webinar will show interested parties in Cincinnati and Dayton how to secure funding as faculty members and, potentially, as the region’s next entrepreneurs.

Featured image at top: UC staff attending a webinar. Photo/Greg Glevicky