CEAS Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The goal for 51³Ô¹ÏÍø’s College of Engineering and Applied Science Innovation & Entrepreneurship is to cultivate a community of scholars with entrepreneurial mindsets who can partner with government and industry to drive economic growth in the state, national and global economy.

"I have the chance to shape the vision, mission and strategic actions that will define this role for future leaders."

Professor Wil Srubar, first Deming Associate Dean for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

51³Ô¹ÏÍø's history of innovation is reflected in its groundbreaking research and entrepreneurial spirit. With established strength in the innovation and entrepreneurship arena and immense potential for continued growth and impact, the timing couldn’t be better.

CEAS Innovation & Entrepreneurship Fellowship Program

On behalf of the College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) and Venture Partners, I am pleased to announce the 2026 CEAS Innovation & Entrepreneurship (I&E) Fellowship Program.

In line with the CEAS Strategic Vision, this fellowship program (now in its second year) is designed to engage CEAS faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students in the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø (51³Ô¹ÏÍø) I&E commercialization ecosystem. The fellowship program will provide funding for CEAS faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and graduate students at critical points of inflection to engage in entrepreneurship training, team building, and customer discovery related to a disclosed invention and to position them well for follow-on funding and commercialization success. The fellowship program consists of two tracks: (1) CEAS I&E Faculty and Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Team Fellowships and (2) CEAS I&E ASCENT Fellowships.

CEAS I&E Faculty and Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Team Fellowships

About

The vision of the CEAS I&E Faculty and Graduate Student/Postdoctoral Team Fellowship is to support teams consisting of one faculty member AND one postdoc OR one graduate student and catalyze their engagement in the 51³Ô¹ÏÍø I&E ecosystem. Teams must submit one combined application for consideration. Ìý

Fellowship Awards

  • Faculty Fellowship: 1 Month of Summer Salary (Summer 2026)
  • Graduate Student Fellowship: 50% GRA for 3 Months (Summer 2026)
  • Postdoctoral Fellowship: Salary/Benefits for 3 Months (Summer 2026)Ìý

Anticipated Number of Fellowship Awards

Up to 5 Team AwardsÌý

Eligibility

Teams must be affiliated with the College of Engineering and Applied Science. Teams must have disclosed an innovation to Venture Partners by the application deadline (December 5, 2025). Teams awarded Lab Venture Challenge, OEDIT, and/or SBIR/STTR funding for their innovation or secured a dilutive investment into a startup that will commercialize their innovation will be considered too advanced for the program and are ineligible to apply.Ìý

Requirements

Minimum requirements for recipients of the CEAS I&E Faculty, Postdoctoral, and Graduate Student Fellowships include:ÌýÌý

  • Completion of the NSF I-CorpsTMÌýStarting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop (January or April 2026) (facilitated by Venture Partners);
  • Completion of the NSF I-CorpsTMÌýResearch-to-Market (R2M) Customer Discovery Program (May 2026) (facilitated by Venture Partners);
  • Submission of an NSF National I-CorpsTMÌýApplication (Summer 2026) (for a chance to receive $50,000 in non-dilutive commercialization funding); and
  • Submission of a 2026 Lab Venture Challenge Application (August/September 2026) (for a chance to receive non-dilutive commercialization funding);
  • Submission of an application to the 2026 CatalyzeCU Accelerator Program (Summer 2026) (for a chance to receive up to $25,000 in non-dilutive commercialization funding);
  • The cohort of teams funded by this fellowship will be invited to participate in additional workshops and meetings to discuss progress, to receive additional entrepreneurship education, training, and mentorship support, and to learn more about follow-on commercialization funding opportunities.Ìý

Deadline

December 5, 2025

For Application Questions: Contact Prof. Wil Srubar, Deming Associate Dean for Innovation & Entrepreneurship

CEAS I&E ASCENT Fellowships

About

The vision for theÌýCEAS I&E ASCENT FellowshipÌýis to support CEAS faculty, graduate students, and postdocs participating in theÌý2026 ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator in Spring 2026.ÌýParticipants will work toward milestones focused on company formation, paths to market, entrepreneurial finance, and fundraising, which will prepare them for a final pitch to a community of investors, entrepreneurs, and industry experts at the Ascent Investor Showcase. The program is expected to take 3-5 hours/week for four months (February-June 2026).Ìý

Award

$5,000 StipendÌý(Summer 2026)

Anticipated Number of Awards

10-20

Eligibility

Applicants must be a current CEAS faculty member, graduate student, or postdoc. Individual applicants must be working to commercialize technologies based on CEAS inventions that have been previously disclosed to Venture Partners. Individual applications must have completed significant customer discovery in their target market by participating inÌýVenture Partners’ NSF I-CorpsTMÌýHub: West Starting Blocks and Research-to-Market programs (Fall 2025 or earlier). Multiple participants from the same team are eligible to apply.Ìý

Requirements

MinimumÌýrequirementsÌýfor the recipients of the CEAS I&E ASCENT Fellowships include:

  • Acceptance into (and successful completion of) the 2026 ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator (Spring 2026) (facilitated by Venture Partners). Fellowships will be awarded upon successful completion of the ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator program (June 2026).
  • Submission of an application to the 2026 CatalyzeCU Accelerator Program (Summer 2026) (for a chance to receive up to $25,000 in non-dilutive commercialization funding).

ASCENT Deep Tech Accelerator Deadline

December 5, 2025Ìý

Fellowship Deadline

December 5, 2025Ìý

For Application Questions: Contact Prof. Wil Srubar, Deming Associate Dean for Innovation & Entrepreneurship