Announcing NextUP: A Program to Support Pre-Commercial Technology and Ideas Developed at Penn

The Office of the Vice Provost for Research is pleased to announce the launch of the NextUP Program, a new resource designed to provide Penn faculty and researchers with critical impact funding to help advance selected pre-commercial Penn technologies, product candidates and compelling business ideas. The program is managed by the Office of the Chief Innovation Officer and is available to applicants across all twelve of Penn’s schools.

The NextUP Program provides up to $50K of pre-commercial grant funding per selected project to address critical gaps that will help to attract industry partners and external investors. Examples of program projects may include, but are not limited to, proof-of-concept experiments, prototype development, product candidate testing, concept refinement and software/application development. Technology commercialization training, including active mentoring and participation in the Penn I-Corps Program, is made available to program participants.

To be eligible for NextUP, applicant submissions must include a Penn faculty member as a lead participant, and the project should address a critical need directly related to the potential commercial feasibility of the idea or technology. Additional information about the NextUP Program, including the application process and eligibility requirements are available at https://ocino.upenn.edu/the-nextup-program/.

The deadline to apply is Friday, July 31.

If you have questions or would like to discuss whether your opportunity or idea may be a good fit for the NextUP Program, please contact the Office of the Chief Innovation Officer at ocino@upenn.edu.