Pitt Engineering Innovation Challenge

• The Pitt Engineering Innovation Challenge is a competitive innovation funding program for SSOE faculty who are early in their commercialization journey.
• Two awards of up to $50,000 each will be granted to support commercialization-focused technical and business development milestones.
• Awardees are required to communicate and engage with OIE regularly to track project progress and complete milestones. Communications include a project kickoff meeting, progress reports, update meetings, working sessions, and a final report.
• Funding is released according to a milestone-based plan developed in collaboration with OIE. Each project will have 1-2 quantifiable technical milestones, 1 business development milestone, and 1 innovation-focused career development goal for the faculty PI.
• Projects are expected to start within one month of the award date (pending any necessary regulatory or purchasing approvals) and should be completed within 12 months of the project start date. Activities conducted before the approved project start date cannot be supported by the award.
• Awardees receive project management from OIE’s Innovation Funding team, intellectual property guidance from OIE licensing managers, and commercialization coaching from the OIE New Ventures team and/or the Office of Industry and Economic Partnerships.
• Awardees participate in a structured innovation and commercialization training program, including the weekly in-person Community of Innovators, customer discovery and market validation training through the NSF I-Corps program, tailored on-demand virtual modules, and curated educational sessions on topics such as Intellectual Property (IP) best practices, engaging with industry, understanding conflicts of interest, and commercialization options for researchers.
• The Challenge should position awardees and their technologies for continued commercialization support and readiness for follow-on funding.

• • Apply if you’re a primary-appointed SSOE faculty member who has not yet meaningfully engaged in technology translation, commercialization, or industry-sponsored research at Pitt. The Challenge is designed as an entry point, not for faculty already active in this space.
  • Your technology should be early-stage with existing proof-of-principle data generated in a simplified or benchtop setting.
  • The Challenge does not support the advancement of general scientific knowledge, basic science studies, or last-mile funding. If this describes your project, contact OIE for other funding programs that may be more appropriate for your project.
  • Your technology should be built on Pitt intellectual property that is not already partnered to a third party.
  • Apply if you’re ready to commit to the full training program, including the Community of Innovators, NSF I-Corps, and related sessions, alongside your technical milestones. The commercialization training is a core part of the award and is designed to provide an investigator with an immersive experience to drive research into real-world applications.

• Applications open: Oct. 1, 2026
• Webinar: Oct. 15, 2026, 12:30pm
• Applications due: Oct. 25, 2026
• Awards announced: Mid-Dec. 2026
• Anticipated award start date: Mid-Jan. 2027

Applicant: Primary-appointed SSOE faculty who have not meaningfully engaged in technology translation, commercialization, or industry-sponsored research at Pitt.

Technology: Early-stage technology with existing proof-of-principle data in a simplified or benchtop setting. The Challenge does not support the advancement of general scientific knowledge, basic science studies, or last-mile funding.

Intellectual Property: Pitt intellectual property that is not already partnered to a third party.

• Projects for the Pitt Engineering Innovation Challenge are solicited through a formal request for proposals (RFP), submitted via Pitt InfoReady.
• A complete application addresses: the problem and unmet need, your technology’s novel elements and stage of development, the technical objective and value inflection point the project will reach, how the work derisks your technology, a project plan with 1-2 technical milestones, a business development milestone, and a budget request.
• Applications are reviewed by OIE, SSOE, and OIE’s scientific advisory board. Applicants may be asked to submit additional details or clarifying information during the review process.
• Award decisions are made, and final technical milestones, business development milestones, career development goal, and budgets are developed in collaboration with OIE and SSOE.
• Award letters are executed, and projects are started in a kickoff meeting with OIE.

The goal of the Pitt Engineering Innovation Challenge is to accelerate the development of Pitt intellectual property and help Swanson faculty take the first step into commercialization. Projects are selected based on commercialization potential and societal impact using the following criteria.

• Eligibility and fit for the Engineering Innovation Challenge
• Market opportunity
• Scientific merit and novelty
• Feasibility of the proposed project
• PI qualifications and interest in commercialization

Funds may only be used for direct costs of activities outlined in the approved project plan and budget, incurred during the award period.

Eligible expenses include:

• Lab supplies, prototyping supplies, and fabrication or bench-testing materials tied to the approved milestone(s)
• Faculty salary of up to 4 hours per week. Postdoc, student, and technician salaries supporting the project.
• Consultants and service providers engaged to support a specific milestone, provided they assign any resulting IP rights to the University.
• Travel directly related to an approved milestone, with prior approval from OIE.

Ineligible expenses include:

• Overhead / indirect costs
• Tuition
• Capital equipment
• Publication costs
• Unapproved travel