About the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program
Many promising innovations with strong commercialization potential stall just before reaching viability because the graduate student inventor must move on to full-time employment. At the same time, talent retention remains a challenge in East Tennessee. According to the Knoxville Chamber’s Talent Redefined 2021 white paper, the Knoxville region had the second-highest negative variation between growth among 15- to 24-year-olds and growth among 25- to 54-year-olds. In other words, while the University of Tennessee attracts large numbers of undergraduate and graduate students, many leave the region after graduation. The Entrepreneurial Fellows Program is designed to help retain this talent and strengthen the region’s innovation ecosystem by supporting hands-on work in deep tech startups. The program prepares outstanding recent graduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers with strong scholarly and technical expertise for careers in innovation, technology development, commercialization and entrepreneurship.
Entrepreneurial Fellows receive financial and professional support to advance the commercial development of their technologies. This includes a stipend of up to $60,000 per year, grant support, participation in tailored innovation and entrepreneurship training programs such as I-Corps, and business mentorship from Executives in Residence (EIR) and the UTRF licensing team.
Program Requirements
To participate in the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program, applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Have an innovation disclosure on file with UTRF
- Work closely with a technology manager on the commercialization pathway and intellectual property secured
- Have the principal investigator whose lab hosts the work submit:
- A statement of work (working with the tech manager and EIR is strongly recommended)
- The fellow’s CV
- A letter of recommendation
Participation in the Entrepreneurial Fellows Program also requires the execution of a term sheet with agreed-upon financial terms. Because the program is funded with UTRF dollars, it is an investment by UTRF in the technology rather than a grant, even though it is administered through the university.