What is the Roberts Innovation Fund?
The Roberts Fund for Innovation at Yale is a new initiative launched in 2022 to accelerate the engine of innovation at theYale School of Engineering & Applied Science (SEAS). Thanks to a generous gift from Yale alumnus Will Roberts ’90, the Roberts Innovation Fund will provide funding, mentoring and business training to assist in the commercialization of breakthrough inventions that solve these real-world problems. Just as importantly, faculty applicants will receive valuable feedback from the Fund’s director as well as from an external advisory board from industry, all of whom have invested and/or built technology ventures.
What are the criteria to be considered?
Yale Faculty Member: At least one applicant on the team must have a primary or secondary appointment in SEAS.
Disruptive Innovation: The project is novel, and the merit of the innovation is clearly articulated.
Solving a Significant Problem: Research is aligned to a specific market need, indicative of commercial viability and has potential for scale.
Proof of Concept: The team has created a proof of concept which demonstrates that the initiative is technically feasible.
Clear articulation of the use of funds. A successful submission will have clear, achievable goals defined for the time-period of the award. (12 months).
If I receive an award, how will the award be distributed?
Funds will be allocated to the PI and associated Lab for use over 12 months.
What if I’ve already formed a startup? Will funds go to the startup?
No. Yale distributes the funds to the PI and their associated lab. You can certainly already have created a startup company, but these particular funds are non-dilutive capital that go to the PI for research and work in support of the stated goals.
Are there any restrictions on the use of funds?
The Roberts Innovation Fund does not have defined restrictions on the use of funds. However, as we make decisions on award recipients, we will be closely reviewing the stated goals of the project on the path to commercialization or greatest impact and will be assessing whether the desired use of funds will be supportive of those goals.
Can I use the funds to pay for graduate student or post-doc salaries?
There is nothing in the Roberts Innovation Fund that prohibits someone from deploying funds in this way. However, we will be working to review individual use cases to ensure that any recipient is compliant with Yale policies on such matters.
What if my project isn’t on the list of focus areas?
We encourage you to apply even if you don’t fit neatly into a category. We will work to seriously review your application, and potentially refer you to other funds if more appropriate. That said, you can also reach out Claudia Reuter to discuss.
How long do I have to use the funds if awarded?
12 months.
I have a question that is not answered on this page. What do I do?
Contact Claudia Reuter.