Researchers & UT Community
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TEXAS PROOF OF CONCEPT AWARDS
These awards provide competitive funding for UT faculty members or permanent researchers with a principal investigator (PI) status to accelerate the tech commercialization process.
Texas Proof of Concept Awards
- Maximum value of $25,000
- No matching requirement
Texas+ Proof of Concept Awards
- Maximum value of $125,000
- Requires the applicant to secure $125,000 in matching funds from an industry partner
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants from any UT college, school, or unit may apply for one or both awards in any order; however, if a UT researcher wins both a Texas and Texas+ Proof of Concept award for a specific innovation, their total funding is limited to $125,000. In addition, applicants can receive a maximum of two Proof of Concept awards per year.
Email pocawards@austin.utexas.edu with questions. The next application cycle will open in September 2026. Application cycles occur during the Fall and Spring semesters.
Key Dates:
Applications Open: Monday, September 7, 2026
Application Deadline: Monday, October 12, 2026
Application Decisions: Friday, December 04, 2026
Award Ceremony: Friday, December 11, 2026
Deadlines are by 5:00 p.m. (Central) on the day indicated
SBIR/STTR PROGRAMS
America’s Seed Fund provides funding to companies developing technologies aligned with federal research objectives. For early-stage research, the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs offer Phase I funding to demonstrate the merit of your discovery.
Discovery to Impact Bridge to Phase II Support Grant
These awards provide Phase I awardees who are developing UT Austin technologies with additional funding (up to $30,000) to make their Phase II applications more competitive.
Email innovation@utexas.edu with questions.
On-Demand SBIR/STTR Resources
Webinar Library
Interested in SBIR/STTR funding but not sure where to begin? Writing your proposal and looking for expert guidance? On-demand webinars about SBIR/STTR programs and agency proposal requirements are available to the UT Austin community at no cost through our collaboration with BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting.
To receive your coupon code to watch for free, register here. Webinars run approximately 45-minutes or less.
Once you access a webinar, it will be available to view for 90 days.
Discovery to Impact partners with researchers, inventors, investors, and entrepreneurs at every step of their journey in relentless pursuit of changing the world.