Accelerator Awards
The Accelerator Awards fund Ohio State researchers to validate and advance lab-scale innovations toward commercial-ready technologies, focusing on third-party vendor validation for startup commercialization.
Funder: Ohio State University
Due Dates: April 3, 2026 (Pre-proposal) | June 26, 2026 (Full application)
Funding Amounts: Up to $100,000 per project (up to $150,000 for FDA-regulated biomedical projects); 12-month project period; ~$1M total annual program funding.
Summary: Supports Ohio State innovations with milestone-driven funding to validate and demonstrate commercial viability for startup commercialization.
Key Information: Invention disclosure must be filed 15 days before pre-proposal deadline; funding primarily for third-party vendor validation.
Description
The Accelerator Awards program, administered by Ohio State University's Innovation and Commercialization Team and funded by both Ohio State and the Ohio Third Frontier, provides targeted funding to help faculty and staff advance innovations beyond basic laboratory research. The goal is to bridge the gap between early-stage discovery and market-ready technology, positioning projects for commercialization through Ohio-based startup companies. Funding is milestone-driven and aims to validate and de-risk promising technologies, with an emphasis on third-party vendor validation to enhance commercial viability.
