Startup Support

The Venture Center team works with University researchers, entrepreneurs, investors, and advisors to provide services to help establish new companies.
 

Startup Workshops

The Venture Center hosts regular, free workshops for UMN faculty, graduate students, and post-docs considering a startup based on inventions emerging from their research. Each program focuses on a relevant topic and provides the opportunity to network with entrepreneurs, business advisors, and Venture Center staff—all with real-world experience turning an invention into a successful new company.

Check the events page for a listing of current startup workshops or watch past webinars.
 

Discovery Launchpad

The Discovery Launchpad is a startup incubator and program of formal coaching for UMN researchers interested in forming a startup company to commercialize new technology. Experienced advisors help researchers move through the startup process using a three phase approach. Participants develop business and marketing plans, learn about legal and regulatory aspects of running a business, and have access to no-cost shared office space.
 

Funding

Discovery Capital

There are many grant funding programs available to UMN innovators and the Venture Center will refer innovators to the programs. In addition, the University has one equity-based investment program called Discovery Capital.

Contact us at venture@umn.edu to apply.

SBIR and STTR Funding Programs

SBIR and STTR are federally funded programs that offer opportunities for small businesses to partner with research institutions like the U of M. The Venture Center has teamed up with the Minnesota SBIR/STTR Assistance Office (MNSBIR) to provide help in identifying these grant opportunities and provide guidance on how to apply.

Companies that partner with U of M researchers on SBIR and STTR grants receive a substantially reduced indirect (F&A) rate. For Phase I grants that are awarded to the company and subawarded to the U of M, the company only pays a 10 percent F&A rate for the portion provided to the U. The company is expected to pay the full F&A rate for Phase II grants and beyond.

SBIR

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program lets small businesses engage in federally sponsored research to explore its technological potential and profit from commercializing new technologies.

The program aims to:

• Stimulate technological innovation
• Meet federal research and development needs
• Foster participation in innovation and entrepreneurship by socially and economically disadvantaged individuals
• Increase private-sector commercialization of innovations from federal research and development funding

STTR

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) program supports a partnership of ideas and technologies between innovative small businesses and research institutions.

The program requires a small business to formally collaborate with a research institution like the U of M in Phase I (feasibility and proof of concept) and Phase II (research and development), allowing it to bridge the gap between conducting basic science and commercializing new discoveries. More than $2 billion is available each year for small businesses in a wide variety of technology areas.

The program aims to:

• Stimulate technological innovation
• Foster technology transfer through cooperative research and development between small businesses and research institutions
• Increase private sector commercialization of innovations derived from federal R&D

Determining Intellectual Property (IP)

The small business receiving the SBIR or STTR award may subaward a portion of the funding to an academic institution such as the University of Minnesota. The funding provided to the University via the subaward is federal funding, and the intellectual property (IP) rights are managed as if the federal funding was provided directly to the University.  Ownership of intellectual property is governed by US law, specifically the Bayh-Dole Act, which states that ownership is determined by authorship or inventorship. 

The small business may negotiate a license to the IP developed during the project.  The SBIR or STTR does not give the small business exclusive commercial rights to use project IP developed solely or jointly by the University.

Subawards are allowed as part of SBIR/STTR Phase I or Phase II projects.  Prior to submission, the subaward budget must be routed to Sponsored Projects Administration for their actions before returning the subaward budget to the startup.

Fact sheet on intellectual property rights and STTR/SBIR programs
 

Conflict of Interest

In many cases our inventing faculty will continue to do research that could benefit a company that they are working with to commercialize an invention that came out of their lab. The Venture Center will work with the faculty researcher(s) and help them address any potential conflict of interest. This typically involves engaging the UMN conflict of interest group and helping all those involved understand the situation and what can be done to manage the conflict.
 

Royalty Income

All income (whether from royalty or equity) is distributed according to Regent’s policy.