Innovation Day at OSU
Learn how OSU researchers can turn innovation into impact.
Oregon State University’s Innovation Day is a one-hour virtual session designed to help faculty and graduate student researchers explore how their work can make real-world impact. You'll learn about programs and resources that support innovation through licensing, startup creation, and industry collaboration.
OSU faculty participants are also eligible to apply for a $5,000 Innovation Day Award to explore a key commercial question in their research. Read on to learn more about the award and how to apply.
Spring 2025 Innovation Day
DATE: Wednesday, April 9, 2025
TIME: 12–1 p.m. (Online via Zoom)
WHO: OSU faculty and graduate student researchers
Innovation Day Award Timeline
Attend Innovation Day: April 9, 2025
Submit Idea Pitch: Friday, April 18, 2025
Award Announced: Friday, April 25, 2025
Attend Iterate Program (required): May 7, 14, 21, 28 (3–4:30 p.m., Zoom)
Why You Should Attend Innovation Day
If you're working on a research project with potential societal or economic impact, this session is for you. Innovation Day helps you discover how to move your research beyond the lab—toward licensing, industry partnerships or even a startup.
You'll hear about funding, training and support programs available to OSU researchers, learn how to apply for the $5,000 Innovation Day Award, and find out what resources are available to support your next steps. We're also happy to connect with you about any innovations you're working on, questions about commercialization or funding opportunities specific to your work.
Don't miss this opportunity to connect with OSU Advantage and move your research forward—register today!
Innovation Day Award
What Is the Innovation Day Award?
This competitive award provides up to $5,000 to one OSU faculty member who attends the Innovation Day session. The funding helps researchers investigate a key commercial question that could move their innovation closer to licensing or startup formation.
Example questions might include: “With this proof, I can confirm that I have unique innovative technology,” or “I can confirm which industry will be interested in the outcome of this research.”
The award is funded by OSU’s University Venture Development Fund (UVDF), created through Oregon legislation to support research commercialization at Oregon’s public universities.
How to Apply
To be considered for the Innovation Day Award, you must be an OSU faculty member and complete all of the following:
- Attend the Innovation Day session
- Submit a one-page Idea Pitch in PDF format (see pitch guidelines below)
- Participate in the OSU Advantage Accelerator Iterate program
Pitch Guidelines
Your idea pitch should clearly explain the innovation, its potential impact and how the award funding would be used. Submit a one-page PDF document that is single-spaced, uses 11-point font, and has 1-inch margins. Your pitch should cover the following:
- Problem: What problem has yet to be solved?
- Market: Who will benefit most from solving it?
- Technology: How does your innovation address this problem?
- Budget: How will you use the $5,000 to advance your innovation?
Eligible Uses of Award Funds
Funds may be used for:
- Product design and specification
- Customer discovery (e.g., stakeholder interviews)
- Attending trade shows
- Use case validation
- Patentability research
- Feasibility studies
- Proof-of-principle prototyping
- Market research
- Commercialization plan development
- Student support to assist with these activities
Ineligible Uses of Award Funds
Funds may not be used for:
- Faculty or staff salaries (except graduate research assistants)
- Publication costs
- Lab equipment purchases
- Basic research
- Expenses incurred prior to approval
OSU’s Innovation Day
Each term at OSU, we set aside time to help faculty and student researchers learn more about the resources available to increase OSU's research impact through the broad adoption of research innovation by society.
Are you working on a research project that could have societal and economic impact? Interested in learning about resources available to help develop this research into something that might attract an industry partner or a startup? Attend the next Innovation Day Session!
OSU faculty participants have the opportunity to win a $5,000 Innovation Day Award. Further details included below.
Winter 2024 Innovation Day Session
We will cover available resources and funding to help you move innovation from the lab to a license.
Join this virtual 1-hour event hosted by the OSU Advantage office for OSU faculty and graduate student researchers to learn how you can take advantage of the funding and training opportunities that support innovation and entrepreneurship at the federal, state, and OSU levels. At this event, you will also learn how to apply for a special $5,000 Innovation Award available from the OSU Advantage office.
We are happy to talk to you about any innovations you are working on, further questions about commercializing technology, and funding opportunities that are specific to your invention(s).
Tuesday, January 30th, 2024 from 12-1pm
Innovation Day Award
Application Guidelines
With the Innovation Day Award, one faculty member will be selected to receive an award of up to $5,000 to answer a commercial question in the faculty member’s research such as “with this proof, I can confirm that I have unique innovative technology” or “I can confirm which industry will be interested in the outcome of this research.”
In order to eligible to be considered for this award, an applicant must:
- Attend and participate in the Innovation Day session on Tuesday, January 30th.
- Send an email to [email protected] containing an “Idea Pitch” in a PDF file [1 page, 1 in margins, 11 point font, single space] explaining the innovation idea or technology and how you will use the funds by Friday, February 9th.
Here are some additional guidelines for your Idea Pitch:
Idea Pitch Submission Requirements
Each Idea Pitch should describe the following items:
- Problem: Describe a problem that you believe no one has solved very well to date.
- Market: Who will benefit most from a solution to this problem?
- Technology: How will your new solution address this problem?
- Budget: How do you plan to use the funds to advance your idea?
Participation in the OSU Advantage Accelerator Iterate program is required to receive the award. The Iterate Winter 2024 program meets Wednesdays virtually via Zoom four times: February 21, 28, March 6 and 13 all from 3:00 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The winning team can use this $5,000 award for activities that will help advance the team’s conception and understanding of market opportunities for deployment of new products and services.
Funds can be used for approved uses such as:
- product design and specification;
- customer discovery (such as visiting and interviewing potential customers and stakeholders);
- attending trade shows in relevant industries;
- validation of use cases;
- patentability research;
- feasibility studies;
- proof of principle prototyping;
- market research;
- and commercialization plan development.
Funds can also pay for students to perform these activities.
All uses of funds are subject to the winner’s preparation of a final budget to be reviewed and approved by OSU Advantage and the UVDF committee.
Funds may NOT be used:
- to support faculty or staff salaries other than graduate research assistants;
- to pay for publication costs;
- to purchase lab equipment;
- to fund basic research;
- or to pay for other costs incurred prior to approval of expenditures.
Questions and Submissions
Please email all questions and submissions to John Sweet ([email protected]).
Deadline for Submission: Friday, February 9th, 2024.
About the Innovation Day Award
The Innovation Day Award is made possible by OSU’s University Venture Development Fund (UVDF). The State of Oregon, through special legislation designed to promote philanthropic donations targeted to commercialization of research at Oregon’s Universities, enabled OSU to create the UVDF to advance innovation at OSU.
Decisions will be announced by Friday, February 16th, 2024.