As one of the resources to advance development of innovations at the UO, the Translational Opportunity Program (TOP) Award provides competitive grants to UO researchers to address gaps in funding for the commercialization of research and other innovations. This grant program is funded by generous donations and indirect costs from UO research awards. We identify and fund outstanding UO technologies or innovations and propel their development and commercialization. TOP Award funds are intended to increase the Technological Readiness Level (TRL) of the innovation. Innovators receiving TOP Awards are expected to participate in the broader programming available through TOP (e.g. innovator bootcamp, entrepreneurship bootcamp, coaching, and SBIR/STTR training) as well as other available resources (e.g. Lens of the Market, I-Corps, etc.).
The program offers three funding tiers to provide resources needed to successfully translate UO innovators’ research and to provide a strong foundation that will lead to the launch of new UO research-based startups. The three tracks align with different stages of the maturity of an innovation. Working closely with IIT will ensure innovations benefit from the correct level of TOP Award at the correct stage of development. The TOP is a gated approach to innovation development – there must be successful outcomes from early-stage work before funding will be allocated for the next stage of development.
To advance the university’s diversity, equity, and inclusion goals, this program particularly seeks applications from innovators who come from populations that are historically underrepresented in translational research.