The University of California, Davis, is pleased to announce the autumn cohort of the Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR) Grant Program. The new initiative comes from the UC President’s Entrepreneurship Network Council that has developed the UC Proof of Concept (POC) Program to help each of the nine UC campuses build programs to help startups traverse the so-called “Valley of Death” for new innovations. The Council is providing a $2 million pilot funding to UC Davis as part of the five-year, $35 million matching fund commitment, aimed at supporting each UC campus efforts with the goal of sustainable programs by the end of the five-year term.
Managed by Venture Catalyst, a unit within the Office of Innovation and Economic Development, the program plays an important role in providing seed funding for early-stage research projects — enabling researchers to validate concepts and explore market potential during the challenging early phases in new technology development.
“Proof-of-concept funding has always been a critical part of the innovation cycle, allowing our faculty to develop new ideas on the way to commercialization. We are delighted to launch this new round of funds which is a key part of the Office of Innovation and Economic Development,” said George Baxter, chief innovation and economic development officer at UC Davis.
The $200,000 annual funding will help UC Davis entrepreneurs to target solutions in a range of applications including human and animal health, agriculture, environment and sustainability. The College of Letters and Science is providing supplemental funding of $25,000 to Professor Annaliese Franz for her STAIR award.
To facilitate the awards, the Venture Catalyst staff assembled external review committees consisting of industry professionals, investors and experienced entrepreneurs, who reviewed and recommended the proposals for STAIR awards, and offered feedback to all applicants. Each awardee and finalist were also paired with mentor(s).
L&S Recipient of the 2024 Proof-of-Concept Grant program- Fall Cohort
Developing innovative vaccine platforms for the livestock population
Annaliese Franz, Professor, Department of Chemistry
Franz’s project focuses on managing the health needs and preventing diseases in livestock and food-producing animals. The demand for animal vaccines and innovative vaccine platforms for the livestock population has been growing due to rising concerns over food security and increasing animal husbandry. In order to bridge the gap between basic research and early-stage commercialization efforts for livestock vaccines, Franz and team have recently developed new lipid nanoparticle (LNP) technology based on novel silyl lipids, and are currently working towards demonstrating the efficacy, safety and benefits of the team’s silyl-lipid LNP technology in vivo. The team will perform in vivo studies for safety and biodistribution with mice as an accessible, inexpensive, and well-studied model for companion, livestock and other animals.
This article originally appeared on the UC Davis Office of Research website.
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