The Insider: Researchers, Inventors and Creators Edition—August 2025

Upcoming CU Opportunities and Events

CU Boulder Silicon Flatirons | Startup Variety Show

Thursday, Sept. 11, Wolf Law Building, Wittemyer Courtroom

Now in its third year, the Startup Variety Show is one of the best ways to connect with Colorado’s Front Range innovation scene. It brings together CU Boulder researchers, federal lab innovators, startup founders and technologists from established companies—all on one stage. The show highlights the region’s most creative minds and the ideas shaping what’s next.

An aerial photo of the iconic CU Boulder campus with the Boulder flatirons in the background

CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office | Workshop: Funding Strategies in a New Federal Landscape

Tuesday, Sept. 16, 3-4 p.m. MST
+ More Dates Through December

Has the recent federal transition prompted you to reconsider your research funding approach? Join RIO’s Donna Axel for a fast-paced, 30-minute introduction to Pivot, internal funding opportunities, and other free tools available with your CU Login. Bring your team—faculty, staff, and students are all welcome!

Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps | Therapeutics Customer Discovery Program

Oct. 7-Nov. 4, Virtual Event | Application Deadline Wednesday, Aug. 27

Do you have a therapeutic innovation that could improve lives? This program is a focused, five-week entrepreneurial training program designed to help academic researchers and early-stage biotech innovators explore the commercial potential of therapeutic technologies. Open to innovators inside and outside the University of Colorado.

CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office | Research & Innovation Seed Grant Program

Application Deadline Monday, Oct. 13

Seed Grants aim to stimulate inter- and multidisciplinary research, scholarship and creative projects with high potential for innovation and/or impact. These grants support creative, and sometimes high-risk, high-reward initiatives, including team development proposals for future large collaborative projects. Projects may take a variety of forms but should represent an investment in advancing the university’s future research, scholarly or creative activities.

Venture Partners and NSF I-Corps | Starting Blocks Customer Discovery Workshop

Nov. 6-20, Virtual Event | Application Deadline Thursday, Oct. 30

Do you have an innovation that could make a difference? Whether a researcher, entrepreneur, inventor or problem solver, this workshop can help you transform your concept into a successful venture. Over three weeks, gain a deeper understanding of the commercialization process, test your ideas with real potential customers and accelerate your journey toward bringing your idea to market. This workshop is for anyone from a research or community institution—not just CU—motivated to bring their ideas to life, secure funding and create lasting impact.

More CU Opportunities and Events

Opportunities Outside CU

Friday, Aug. 8 (deadline) | Blueprint by The Engine—Designed to help graduate students, postdocs, researchers, and their teams explore the translational potential for their breakthrough research.

Friday, Aug. 22 (deadline) | Berkley SkyDeck—A six-month acceleration process for promising startups in any vertical and selected Cohort teams receive a $200,000 investment.

Aug. 27-29 | TechConnect's Space Industry and Government Summit and Expo—Connecting non-space dual-use technology providers with leading commercial and government space opportunities focused on in-space manufacturing, national security initiatives and government and private sector funding.

Friday, Aug. 29 (deadline) | Carbon to Value Initiative Accelerator—Welcoming applications from startups that are developing carbontech solutions.

Tuesday, Sept. 2 (deadline) | Colorado Cleantech Mining Cleantech Challenge—A global product-innovation showcase that matches breakthrough solutions with the world’s leading miners, investors and suppliers.

Sept. 8 (deadline) | Sept. 16-Oct. 14 | Colorado Bioscience Institute's Foundations of Leadership Workshop—For first-time leaders and scientists new to management, this workshop is designed to build the foundations of leadership by exploring the characteristics of leaders, effective communication and teamwork skills.

Sept. 15-17 | Techstars Foundercon 2025 | A three-day gathering in Boulder of 1,000+ founders, mentors, partners and community leaders from across the global network.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, Jan. 20, May 19 (deadlines) | National Science Foundation Translation to Practice-Translate(NSF TTP-T)—Supporting projects that build on early translational work to refine ideas, improve solutions and reduce barriers to moving research from the lab into real-world use.

Tuesday, Sept. 16, Jan. 20, May 19 (deadlines) | National Science Foundation Translation to Partner-Translate(NSF TTP-P)—Supporting translational efforts that demand one or more partnerships for technology development and deployment.

Rolling Applications

OEDIT's Advanced Industries Accelerator Programs—Promoting growth and sustainability in Colorado’s advanced industries that increase the state's global competitiveness.

Calling International Student Entrepreneurs & Offering Support—Unshackled Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm focused exclusively on immigrant-founded startups.

National Science Foundation Translation to Practice-Explore (NSF TTP-E)—Offers up to two additional years of funding on a current NSF award to support high-risk, use-inspired research and early translation efforts not included in the original project.

NYSERDA's Building Better Homes Program—Expanding the capacity of builders and developers to construct and market zero emissions (all-electric) homes.

SBIR/STTR Funding—Funding is granted through many different agencies across the federal government and in various areas of innovation.

Techstars Accelerator Programs—Empowering entrepreneurs by providing access to mentorship, capital and a global network to help them succeed and scale their startups.

Various Deadlines

National Technology Alliance—A curated pipeline of vetted opportunities aligned with industry and national priorities from Catalyst Partners, government requirements and industry targets.

U.S. Federal Prize Competitions—Empowering the federal government and the public to participate together in equitable forms of innovation through prize competitions.

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The Insider: Researchers, Inventors and Creators Edition—August 2025

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