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Get Started with the Sprout Program

sprout logo The Sprout program awards $100,000 a year across several projects with commercial potential. Funded by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Technology Licensing (OTL), this program is designed to support the further development of technologies developed by faculty, students (graduate and undergraduate), postdocs, and staff in the Division of Science. The awards are intended to help bring your research to a wider audience and grow its commercial potential.

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Find Out First About New Funding Deadlines

The Sprout Program, funded by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Technology Licensing (OTL), is designed to encourage and support translational research activity within the Brandeis community for faculty, postdocs, and student researchers (graduate and undergraduate) in the Division of Science. The awards (up to $25,000) are intended to help to advance early-stage technologies to industry adoption thereby bringing your research and entrepreneurial ambitions to life. Sign up to be notified of Sprout funding deadlines and other funding opportunities

FAQ

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Who May Apply

Eligible Research

The Sprout Program at Brandeis will provide pilot funding for innovative scientific projects within the Division of Science that require bench research, lab space, and/or lab equipment. The projects should further have a positive impact. Applicants will be judged and awards of varying amounts will be presented to winning teams based on the specific needs of the respective projects. Some examples of Sprout projects would be the development of an enzyme, a drug or compound, a new material, and alternative fuel sources.

Intellectual Property

The Application Process

The Sprout application process has three parts: 1) preliminary application, 2) full application and 3) final pitch. After the preliminary applications are reviewed, selected participants are invited to continue the application process. These applicants are coached and mentored (individually and in group sessions) throughout the entire process. Final pitches are given to a panel of advisors including entrepreneurs, investors, and industry professionals.

Evaluation Criteria

Sprout Program Final Proposals will be judged by a panel of independent, outside advisors. Applications will be judged using the following criteria:

Overall quality of proposed research plan
Potential commercial importance of the proposed project;
Competence, balance and completeness of entrepreneurial team;
Possibility of attracting future development funding to advance the proposed project;
Degree of innovation and novelty in the proposed project
Potential for commercially significant inventions, copyrights and patents;
Probability of achieving proposed goal with the award resources and in the time proposed.

Benefits of Sprout:

Funding from a pool of $100,000
Industry-leading mentorship program to help you get your idea off the ground
Opportunities to connect with industry colleagues and organizations
Potential opportunity to participate in the Brandeis NSF I-Corps™ program

Types of Projects Encouraged to Apply

Sprout teams represent a diverse array of scientists working on solutions to the world's most challenging public health and environmental issues, as well as innovating new methods of scientific research. This award funds proof of concept studies, prototype building or to perform comparative analysis with existing technologies to identify competitive advantage among other things. Successful applications in past cycles have included, but are not limited to neuroscience, data science, drug delivery, research tools and technologies, materials science, and artificial intelligence applications.

“It’s not just about the funding. It’s about all the opportunities that arise from participating in SPROUT”

Prof. Michael Rosbash, 2018 SPROUT PI, Nobel Laureate