Internal Submission Deadline: Friday, March 6, 2026
Administrator(s): Alandra Kahl (Owner)
Category: Internal Funding Opportunities
Cycle: Spring
Discipline/Subject Area: Life Sciences; Commercialization and Innovation
Number of Applications Allowed Per Applicant: 1
Number of Possible Awardees: 2
Award Range: Up to $250,000
Supporting Documents:
Description
Pitt SPARK supports the “last mile” development of Pitt intellectual property making it ready for commercially-focused external funding and/or a technology transfer upon project completion. Desired outcomes of funded projects include formation of a Pitt Licensed Startup Company (LSC) focused on the relevant intellectual property (IP), option or license of the relevant IP to an existing company, or transfer of the technology out of the academic environment.
Pitt SPARK is open to projects in life sciences-related fields that address unmet needs or challenges in human health and disease.
Administered by the Office of Innovation and Entrepreneurship (OIE), Pitt SPARK:
- Funds key translational milestones,
- Supports innovation and commercialization activities through the Innovation Institute, OIE New Ventures team, and/or the Office of Industry and Economic Partnerships (OIEP),
- Provides awardees with networking and mentorship opportunities through participation in the Pitt Community of Innovators,
- Provides awardees with comprehensive and coordinated programming to build their knowledge of innovation commercialization.
Awards are granted in amounts of up to $250,000 for one year to support “last mile” validation studies of Pitt technologies with high commercial potential and compelling proof-of-concept data. An eligible project will have significant, existing data demonstrating the technology can be implemented in a “real world” setting but still requires validation of key assumptions before transitioning out of the academic environment. Funding is contingent upon adherence to a milestone-based plan developed in collaboration with OIE and the external advisory board.
Upon successful completion of year one project milestones, awardees may apply for a second year of funding of up to an additional $250,000.
Eligibility
- Pitt faculty, postdocs, students, and staff. Postdocs, students, and staff must identify a Pitt faculty member to serve as the principal investigator.
- Applications may not be submitted by project team members who will be unavailable to participate in award activities. Postdoc, student, or staff member applicants are expected to lead and participate in the project for the duration of the award in active collaboration with the PI.
- Projects must have existing proof-of-concept data and be focused on advancing technologies towards technology transfer and the use of innovations outside of the academic environment.
- Supports the development or validation of intellectual property owned by the University. Projects should be unencumbered from obligations that would prevent the University from moving forward with commercialization. The technology should be available for licensing to a Pitt licensed start-up company or external third party and not subject to any pre-existing options, licenses, or corporate sponsored research agreements.
- An invention disclosure must be on file with OIE and reviewed by a licensing manager prior to submitting an application. (Submit an invention disclosure)
- Projects with funding from another source to complete the same work are not eligible for a Pitt SPARK award.
Required Documents
- Project Proposal addressing the questions included in the attached supporting document. 3 page maximum. 1-inch margins, 12 point font, Times New Roman.
- Budget and budget justification using the template provided
- List and role of project team members. 1 page maximum. 1-inch margins, 12 point font, Times New Roman.
Next Steps
- Applicants with the highest-scoring written applications will be invited to present a project pitch to OIE and the OIE scientific advisory board. The pitch must be presented by a Pitt team member who will actively participate in the project for the entire award period.
- For projects selected for Pitt SPARK funding, final project milestones, scope of work, and budget will be developed in collaboration with OIE and OIE’s scientific advisory board.
For more information on Pitt SPARK, project requirements, and eligibility, visit the OIE website here.