As one of the resources to advance development of innovations at the UO, the 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, as well as future payback of past TOP Awards when there is licensing revenue generated. 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 that will become available through TOP as well as other available resources (e.g. Lens of the Market, I-Corps, etc.).
The program offers three funding tiers, aligning with different stages of the maturity of an innovation:
- Tier 1 - Exploration: TRL 2+
- Tier 2 - Validation: TRL 3+
- Tier 3 – Pre-launch: TRL 4+
Working closely with IIT ensures 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 flourishing and belonging goals, this program particularly seeks applications from innovators who come from populations that are historically underrepresented in translational research.