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Pre-Applications to Sprout Program Due 4/17

April 4, 2023 By

Sprout logoThe Sprout Program is back!

Funded by the Provost’s Office and the Office of Technology Licensing (OTL), Sprout is designed to encourage and support translational research activity within the Brandeis community for faculty, postdocs, and student researchers (graduate and undergraduate) in the Division of Science. The awards (up to $25,000 – no overhead!) are intended to help to advance early-stage technologies to industry adoption thereby bringing your research and entrepreneurial ambitions to life.

Successful pre-applicants will be invited to submit a final application due in late May and to pitch to a panel of industry judges in early June. Pre-apply by April 17.

Filed Under: Biochemistry, chemistry, Computer Science, division of science, division of science, General, grad students, labs, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Quantitative BIology Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Brandeis Innovation Announces 2021 Sprout Program

February 4, 2021 By

Brandeis Innovation logoBrandeis Innovation is pleased to announce the kickoff of its annual Sprout program that supports bench research with grants up to $25,000, funded by the Office of the Provost and Office of Technology Licensing. Teams and individuals working on innovative projects and research within the Division of Science are eligible to apply.

Sprout helps bring scientific research and entrepreneurial ambitions to life by providing seed funding. As an added bonus, recipients will also have the option to choose to participate in our spring cohort of the NSF I-Corps fellowship, which provides training in technology commercialization and a stipend up to $750 for related expenses.

Interested applicants can complete this pre-application form, due on February 19th.

Filed Under: grants, labs Tagged With: ,

SPROUT and I-Corps Applications are Open

February 13, 2020 By

Sprout logoThe Brandeis Innovation SPROUT and I-Corps programs offer support for bench and non-bench research. Both programs offer funding in different amounts, mentorship, training and help in further exploring the commercial potential of inventions. SPROUT supports bench research, while I-Corps emphasizes training for both bench and non-bench researchers in developing the commercial potential of discoveries, with small grants and extensive training programs. You can apply to one or both programs.

  • If you have a technology / solution that you have started developing and you would like to get funding for it via SPROUT and/or I-Corps, then please complete this form
  • If you do not already have a technology, then you can complete this form to qualify for the I-Corps training program and be matched with a team

Icorps logo

SPROUT teams will get the chance to qualify for up to $30,000 in funding. The I-Corps program provides entrepreneurial training and covers the core of commercializing a technology or building a startup. It comes with an NSF $750 travel and training stipend and an NSF I-Corps certificate/digital badge.

Apply by February 25, 2020 at 11:59PM

Filed Under: Biochemistry, Biology, chemistry, Computer Science, events, General, labs, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Psychology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

GreenLabs Recycling: An Innovative Answer to Lab Waste

March 8, 2019 By

GreenLabs Recycling

Several years ago, Brenda Lemos and David Waterman, at the time Brandeis graduate students working in Jim Haber’s lab, noticed that clean, polypropylene (#5 plastic) pipette tip boxes were being thrown away. Although never contaminated in the lab, these boxes are typically labeled “medical waste” and blocked from recycling, ultimately ending up in landfills. This is a problem given that 10 million pipette boxes are purchased each year and most often can’t be reloaded and reused. The boxes end up becoming part of the 6 million tons of plastic waste that are produced by 20,500 research institutions world-wide.

That is when the now Dr. Waterman and the future Dr. Lemos, created the GreenLabs Recycling program. Rather than the pipette boxes being disposed of in a landfill, they are now being diverted into recycling at the point of use by the people who are using them.

Pipette box binThe system works this way: GreenLabs Recycling places recycling bins at participating labs. Scientists in the labs place the pipette boxes into the recycling bins as they are used. “Participation in this program has been great. Other scientists understand the importance of recycling these materials,” David said.  Brenda and David collect the bins and bring the materials back to a facility in Acton. There the boxes are sorted by cleanliness, color and type of plastic. After sorting, the boxes are granulated and used at local manufacturers. They prefer to use Massachusetts-based manufacturers in order to reduce the environmental impact of shipping the materials.

They are currently collecting lab plastics at five locations – Brandeis, other universities, and small and large biotech companies in the area. They expect to be soon working with two additional locations.

What are the future plans for GreenLabs Recycling? David said that they would eventually like to take the recycled plastics and manufacture their own long-lasting, permanent products such as trash cans, recycling bins, and non-disposable office products.

David credits the Brandeis Innovations Sprout Program and Icorp™ Program for their support. “They have been a huge help”, he said.

GreenLabs will be participating in the Mass Innovation Nights event on Thursday, March 14. This event will be held from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at the Faculty Club and features new, innovative products from Brandeis students, alumni, and staff. This event is free and open to the public.

Filed Under: events, grad students, labs Tagged With: , ,

2019 Sprout Awards Competition Announced

February 8, 2019 By

SPROUT logoThe Office of Technology Licensing (OTL) is excited to announce this year’s SPROUT awards competition!  SPROUT was created to help you bring your scientific research and entrepreneurial ambitions to life by providing seed funding and training to make your innovation a reality.

“It’s not just about the funding. It’s about all the opportunities that arise from participating in SPROUT” – Michael Rosbash, 2018 SPROUT PI

OTL, with support from the Office of the Provost & the Hassenfeld Family Innovation Center, will award up to a total of $100,000 divided among the most promising proposals seeking funding for lab-based innovations that require bench research, lab space and/or lab equipment.   All members of the Brandeis science community, including faculty, staff and students, are invited to submit an abstract for the 2019 round of funding. The preliminary application for abstract submission is now online.  These pre-applications must be received prior to 11pm on March 8th, 2019. 

In the past, successful SPROUT applications have come from all departments in the sciences including Biology, Biochemistry, Physics, and Chemistry.  Past candidates have proposed projects ranging from early-stage research and development to patent-ready projects.  Many undergraduates, graduates, staff and faculty have all pitched various projects from Vaccines Targeting HIV Sugars (Krauss Lab) to an Assay Kit for RNA-binding Protein Target (Rosbash Lab).

Have questions?  OTL is offering 20 minute appointment slots the week of February 28 at our office in Bernstein-Marcus, room 140.  Sign up here.

Filed Under: awards, Biochemistry, Biology, chemistry, Computer Science, labs, Mathematics, Neuroscience, Physics, Quantitative BIology Tagged With: ,

HackMyPhD to be held Thursday, July 26

July 24, 2018 By

HackMyPhD is Brandeis’ annual event to showcase the latest opportunities available to science, math, and applied arts graduate students. Students will be exposed to a variety of educational and professional opportunities for growth through funding, networking, and internship and job opportunities.

At the event, students will learn how to apply for SPROUT and NSF I-Corps grants available through Brandeis Innovation. They will be shown current projects of NSF I-Corps Fellows and have the opportunity to network with potential mentors in the private industry and entrepreneurial sectors. Finally, they will get a review of their CV and be able to speak directly to the Brandeis Innovation Center team about available support and resources for their research.

There will be a series of panels during the day, all sharing their professional and personal experiences, giving advice and guidance. Each panelist has been in the shoes of a recent graduate, looking for their next move after their PhD or postdoc. These panelists have succeeded in crafting unique, rewarding careers for themselves and are here to share their wisdom. There is plenty of time to interact with these panelists one on one, with Q&A sessions after every presentation and intimate lunch sessions with the speakers. Many panelists have openings on their research teams, so attending HackMyPhD is a great way for recent PhD graduates to find opportunities post-graduation.

Students will receive a great deal of valuable professional guidance from attending this event. They will get a professional headshot, a review of their CV, and can also discuss possible startup ideas based on their research.

The keynote speech, delivered by Jonathan Thon, PhD, is guaranteed to be illuminating! His talk will revolve around dispelling common myths that surround research-based business. He asserts that working in industry/startups doesn’t mean that industry dictates research; it is actually scientist-driven, and academic integrity is preserved.

HackMyPhD will be a helpful and engaging event that every student should attend! Sign up today: http://www.hackmyphd.org

Filed Under: labs Tagged With: , , ,

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