Get Started with the Sprout Program
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.
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.
Apply to Sprout
Applications for Sprout are open every Spring semester. Sign up for notifications of application solicitations and deadlines.
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FAQ
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Undergraduates, graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, faculty and staff from any Brandeis department or school are eligible to apply for the Sprout Program. Please note that at least one team member must be a Brandeis affiliate.
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.
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.
Sprout Program Final Proposals will be judged by a panel of independent, outside advisors. Applications will be judged using the following criteria:
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Overall quality of proposed research plan
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Potential commercial importance of the proposed project;
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Competence, balance and completeness of entrepreneurial team;
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Possibility of attracting future development funding to advance the proposed project;
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Degree of innovation and novelty in the proposed project
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Potential for commercially significant inventions, copyrights and patents;
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Probability of achieving proposed goal with the award resources and in the time proposed.
