The University of Tennessee Research Foundation (UTRF) is now accepting submissions for its 19th annual maturation award program. The UTRF Technology Maturation Award aims to assist innovators in advancing new technologies on the path to market by awarding up to $20,000 in direct costs to the highest ranking proposals.
The program is open to researchers, faculty, staff and students across the entire University of Tennessee System. All proposals are due to your designated campus research office by October 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m.
Researchers who have not received a maturation award in the past two years are especially encouraged to apply.
Applicants must complete and submit the official UTRF Technology Maturation Award Proposal form.
Guidelines
- Open to all UT researchers, faculty, staff and students at all campuses and institutes.
- Projects must be related to an existing UT invention disclosure, OR a proposal can be accompanied by a new UT invention/creation disclosure. (Visit idea.tennessee.edu to submit a new invention disclosure.)
- All proposals should clearly respond to the four questions in the proposal form.
- Proposals that only generate basic research results should not be submitted.
Proposal Requirements
- Please read the application overview and complete the UTRF Technology Maturation Award Proposal form. Other forms of submission will not be accepted.
- The proposal template is limited to two pages, and one page of references and one page of figures may be included as appendices. The complete proposal package must not exceed four pages. No bio or CV should be included.
- The proposal should be received by the campus-specific research office by October 31, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Do not submit directly to UTRF.
Judging Criteria
A panel of technical and business experts from inside and outside of the university will rank-order projects based on the following criteria:
- Demonstration of a path for commercial development
- Market potential
- Stage of development
Examples of Eligible Projects
Examples of eligible projects include but are not limited to:
- Establishment of application or proof-of-concept
- Prototype development
- Addressing specific questions or suggested improvements from potential licensees
- Meaningfully improving intellectual property related to a technology
Important Dates
| Proposal receipt by campus research office | Oct. 31, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. |
| Awards announced on or before | December 2026 |
| Project start date | Jan. 5, 2027 |
| Project completion date | Oct. 24, 2027 |
| Final report due | Nov. 14, 2027 |
Past Winners
During the program’s 15 plus years, more than $1 million in awards have been awarded to over 100 projects.