University Early Stage Proof of Concept Fund – ADVANCE
Forecasted
University Early Stage Proof of Concept Fund – ADVANCE supports faculty at Michigan public universities with proof-of-concept and market validation work to move early-stage technologies toward commercialization.
Funder: Michigan Economic Development Corporation
Due Dates (Anticipated): April 2027 (Spring/Summer proposal submission)
Funding Amounts: Requests encouraged up to $55,000 total ($27,500 program funding and $27,500 university match)
Summary: Supports early proof-of-concept and market validation for technologies developed at Michigan public universities.
Key Information: The technology must have a filed invention disclosure and an identified commercial application; optioned or licensed technologies are ineligible.
Description
The Advance Innovation Hub Proof-of-Concept Fund is sponsored by the Michigan Economic Development Corporation and managed by the Michigan State University Innovation Center on behalf of Michigan public universities. It encourages faculty to work with their university Technology Transfer Office (TTO) to move early-stage inventions toward commercialization.
The fund supports work at technology readiness levels 1–4, including proof-of-concept testing, prototype development, customer discovery, market studies, consulting and detailed intellectual-property analysis. Projects aim to identify an actionable market application or viable business model and reach milestones that make a technology more attractive for licensing, startup formation or further translational funding.
