Funding Opportunities

Research Funding

The Office of the Dean for Research provides funding to support the University’s thriving research community in ways that complement and supplement traditional funding sources. These internal funding sources include:

IP Accelerator Fund

IP Accelerator Fund

The Intellectual Property Accelerator Fund awards gap funding to Princeton investigators with the goal of fostering and advancing the development of nascent technologies from university labs into commercial development and, ultimately, the global marketplace.
Innovation Fund for Industrial Collaboration

Innovation Fund for Industrial Collaboration

This fund aims to support research collaborations between industry and academia. Projects can therefore receive up to $250,000 over two years, of which up to $75,000 would come from industry, and $175,000 from the University.
Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund

Eric and Wendy Schmidt Transformative Technology Fund

The Schmidt Fund is used to support the invention or implementation of entirely new technologies that will have a major impact on a field of research or to acquire a piece of equipment or an enabling technology that will change the direction of research in a field. Unlike most endowments, the fund does not need to be spent evenly each year.

Fund Your Startup

The Faculty New Ventures Assistance Fund was set up in 2016, following a recommendation of the Princeton Entrepreneurship Advisory Committee, to provide assistance to Faculty and Staff considering a startup company as a mechanism for translating their academic research. The Fund provides up to $15,000 of support for the entrepreneurial activities of Princeton researchers in a number of areas key to successful new venture formation, such as market research and analysis, business plan writing, team building, and financial or legal administration. Faculty are encouraged to discuss proposal ideas with OTL prior to submission - please contact Tony Williams, New Ventures Associate, to learn more.

The OTL has built relationships with a number of angels and early stage investment groups who are looking to invest in Princeton startups at the seed, or even pre-seed stage, and we are happy to provide introductions as needed. These groups include:

Alumni Entrepreneurs Fund

Alumni Entrepreneurs Fund

Supported by the generosity of entrepreneurial Princeton alumni, the Alumni Entrepreneurs Fund (AEF) provides recent alumni startups up to $100,000 in matching funds, mentorship, and peer-to-peer learning opportunities throughout the year. Alumni who receive AEF support serve as mentors to students, helping to advance the University’s educational mission and cultivate its entrepreneurial ecosystem.
BIOAdvance

BIOAdvance

Is an active group of investors located in Philadelphia that actively invests early stage venture capital in therapies, medical devices, research tools, diagnostics and health IT in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Fitz Gate Ventures

Fitz Gate Ventures

Fitz Gate Ventures is an early stage venture capital firm with offices in Princeton, NJ, Houston, TX and Menlo Park, CA that invests in startups in which a Princetonian is either a founder or a member of the senior management team
IP Group

IP Group

IP Group is an intellectual property commercialization company focused on evolving great ideas from its partner universities into world-changing businesses. We pioneered a unique approach to commercializing these ideas by providing access to capital, scientific insight and the supporting infrastructure. Princeton is a partner university.
Jumpstart NJ Angel Network

Jumpstart NJ Angel Network

A private, member-led angel group that invests in early-stage technology companies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
Mid Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA)

Mid Atlantic Bio Angels (MABA)

Mid Atlantic Bio Angels group (MABA), is an angel investor group focused exclusively on new and emerging life science companies. Membership in MABA is by invitation only, and is extended to active, accredited investors (life science angels) who wish to make investments in life science companies, as well as institutional investors and life science company venture arms wishing to invest alongside the angels.
New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF)

New Jersey Health Foundation (NJHF)

New Jersey Health Foundation supports health-related research and education programs in New Jersey through its Research Grant Program, Innovation Grant Program and its affiliate, Foundation Venture Capital Group, which provides pre-seed investments to help health-related start-up companies established by researchers at Princeton University, Kessler Foundation, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Rowan University, Rutgers University and Stevens Institute of Technology.
Osage University Partners

Osage University Partners

Osage University Partners (OUP) is a venture capital fund that invests exclusively in startups that are commercializing university research. Princeton is an associate partner.