Brandeis Innovation

Get Started with the Sprout Program

sprout logoThe 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.

 

Apply to Sprout

Pre-Applications Due by March 29

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. 

Apply by March 29

FAQ

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