​UARF’s Spark Fund pays for prototyping and testing services to generate the proof needed for your UA technology to be licensed to a scalable startup company. Apply to be considered for Spark Fund 2023!

Spark Fund Provides:​

Feedback to all applicants about concrete steps they can take to improve the commercial potential of their technology

For selected applicants, a detailed assessment of commercial strengths and weaknesses in a format that is useful for NSF PFI and SBIR proposals

Up to $25,000 in funding per project for prototyping and testing required to prove that a technology can meet customer needs

The Application Process:

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1. Fill out the application form to be considered for this round
2. Selected applicants will be invited to enter due diligence where you will upload more documents and the UARF team will perform a deep dive into your technology's commercial potential
3. Projects selected for funding will execute a milestone-based project plan to generate the proof needed to get your technology ready for licensing

Apply Now

Spark Fund Applicants Should Have:

• A patent application or provisional patent application filed through UA's Office of Tech Transfer (if not, email kaf58@uakron.edu to start the process)
• Proof of principle and/or proof of concept work completed in your lab
• A team consisting of at least one faculty member and one or more students
• An understanding of the potential market for your technology based on conversations with real customers that confirm the technology could solve a problem for them
• Completed UARF’s Regional I-Corps, NSF's National I-Corps or I-Corps@Ohio 

Our Expectations:

You are the expert in your technology and your engagement is critical to the success of your project:

• Regular meetings with the Spark Fund staff and your team (every 2-4 weeks)
• Responsiveness in answering both technical questions and questions about your opinion on markets and competitive products
• Honesty in communicating both technical strengths and challenges you experience throughout the process
• Willingness to engage with people with different backgrounds to more fully understand the market for your technology
• Semi-annual written reports on progress and milestones

Up to $25,000 to Support:

• Purchasing supplies to build a prototype, make sample materials or scale-up a process
• Hiring external firms to assist in designing, producing or improving a prototype or process
• Hiring experts to consult on a challenging technical issue
• Testing by a third party lab to validate your internal results
• Producing prototypes to show to potential customers and collect feedback

Selection Criteria:

• Understanding of the market size and target customer
• Understanding of the value proposition the technology would provide to the target customer
• Evidence of direct customer feedback validating the customer segment and value proposition
• Strength of the intellectual property
• Stage of technical development (ideally funding activities to attain Technology Readiness Level 4-6)
• Evidence that the Spark Fund project will generate the proof needed for the technology to be licensed to a scalable startup company
  

Apply to Spark Fund

Recent Spark Fund Awardees:

AuraPeel - Light Releasable Adhesives
Spark Fund provided funding to validate that a light releasable adhesive could stick as strongly as benchmark adhesive films used in negative pressure wound therapy, while losing 50% of adhesive strength after the application of a particular wavelength of light. Several adhesive formulations were created in a UA lab, coated on a backing using commercial coating equipment, and tested in a third party lab. The technology was later licensed to Akron-based PolyLux LLC, which has received two NSF SBIR awards for further R&D. The project was led by Dr. Abraham Joy (polymer science).

Hard Coatings for Friction and Wear Resistance
Spark Fund paid to coat prototype metal “coupons” with high performance hard coatings. These prototypes were sent to 10 large industrial companies that had previously expressed interest in the technology. After initial customer testing and feedback on the coupons, Spark Fund paid to produce larger samples of coated parts for the most interested customers. The technology was then licensed to Akron Surface Technologies Inc., which was later acquired by a strategic partner. The project was led by Dr. Gary Doll (civil engineering).

Silicon Anode Battery Binder
Spark Fund funded the production of several polymer formulations for use in binding silicon to battery anodes, the preparation of 100 half-cell and 20 full-cell batteries with various binder formulations, and longitudinal testing of how the formulations impacted charging and discharging over hundreds of cycles. Upon successful Spark Fund results, the technology was licensed to Akron PolyEnergy, which received Ohio Third Frontier TVSF Phase 2 funding. The project was led by Dr. Yu Zhu (polymer science).

Spark Fund is supported by: