Research News

Limited Submission Opportunity: VentureWell Faculty Grants Program

Vanderbilt University may submit one proposal for the VentureWell Faculty Grants Program.

VentureWell is seeking proposals for areas that will support the emerging generation of inventors and innovators and the I&E ecosystems critical to their success. VentureWell Faculty Grants provide up to $30,000 for up to three years (overhead not allowed) to help fund and support faculty with innovative ideas to create new or transform existing courses and programs to help students develop novel, STEM-based inventions and gain the necessary entrepreneurial skills needed to bring these ideas to market.

Focus areas include:

  • General (science- and technology-based) entrepreneurship
  • Sustainable technology (new materials, clean tech, green energy and chemistry innovation)
  • Climate change solutions (technology to mitigate and/or adapt to climate change), especially technologies that support communities most impacted by climate change
  • Biomedical and health care innovation
  • Information technology innovation
  • Technology that addresses poverty alleviation and basic human needs

Successful faculty grant proposals will include these elements:

  • A focus on technology entrepreneurship
  • Experiential learning by doing, and creative approaches to solving real-world problems
  • The formation of student teams focused on technology inventions with positive social and/or environmental impact
  • A supportive entrepreneurial ecosystem for student teams to pursue commercialization
  • A plan for sustained institutional change and the continuation of the course or program after VentureWell funding
  • Inclusion of faculty and mentors with a wide range of backgrounds and expertise to support students, especially students from underrepresented groups

Grantees will actively participate in a community of practice designed to connect faculty from minority-serving Institutions, as well as those who self-identify as a member of an under-represented group. These peer-to-peer meetings will support grantee efforts to integrate I&E practices and methodologies into their proposed course or program curriculum.

Sponsor webinars

There will be two webinars offered by the sponsor. Find more information and register for the webinars here.

See the guidelines for more information.

Interested faculty should visit https://vanderbilt.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1824042 to submit an application for the internal LSO competition and to find additional information about the opportunity. The deadline for the internal competition is Oct. 2, 2020.

Any questions about this opportunity or the LSO process may be directed to VU-LSO@vanderbilt.edu.