Venture Catalyst

STAIR Grant Program

The UC Davis Science Translation and Innovative Research (STAIR) Grant is one of the technology proof-of-concept programs managed by Venture Catalyst in collaboration with InnovationAccess. Core funding for the STAIR Grant is provided by the Vice Chancellor for Research with supplemental funding provided by Innovation & Technology Commercialization (InnovationAccess and Venture Catalyst) as well as campus and industry partners.

Early-stage technologies from university research are often perceived as too uncertain or too risky to attract funding to translate into commercial products or services.  The lack of accessible funding creates a gap between basic research and early-stage commercialization efforts.  The STAIR Grant helps bridge this gap by providing funding and resources to translate basic UC Davis research with commercial potential by demonstrating proof-of-concept and establishing market viability, thus de-risking the innovation.  The ultimate objective of the program is to develop technologies that attract entrepreneurs, industry, and investors willing to commercialize UC Davis technologies, resulting in societal and economic impacts.

Key features of the STAIR Grant program include:  1) targeted funding to bridge the gap between basic research and early-stage commercialization efforts, 2) project work conducted over a 12-month period, 3) Review Committee consisting of industry representatives with corporate, investor, and entrepreneurial expertise, 4) feedback and guidance on commercialization from members of the Review Committee and the Venture Catalyst team, and 5) structured entrepreneurial training.

Over the past nine cycles, the proof-of-concept programs (STAIR and DIAL) have awarded over $2.8 million of funding to 62 projects. These projects have resulted in 29 intellectual property agreements, including 20 startups launched around foundational technologies, and have been able to attract roughly $170 million of follow-on funding. View the executive summary for the 2021-22 cycle here.

Venture Catalyst will begin accepting applications for the tenth cycle of the STAIR Grant program on January 18, 2023 with an application deadline of March 16, 2023 at 11:59 pm PDT. Applications can be submitted through Office of Research’s InfoReady grant application platform (Kerberos login required).

If you would like to request an overview presentation and/or a Q&A session for your department or unit, please email stairgrant@ucdavis.edu.

For the STAIR Grant program, Venture Catalyst has engaged campus and industry partners to expand potential funding available to particular technologies and projects through the program. Partners include Triple Ring Technologies, the UC Davis College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences, the UC Davis College of Letters & Science, the UC Davis School of Medicine, and the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine.

As a side-car award, Triple Ring Technologies Consulting will provide up to 95 person‐hours of engineering services in the aggregate over a 3-6 month period to 3-6 recipients jointly chosen by Triple Ring and UC Davis Innovation and Technology Commercialization (ITC).

Aspect	STAIR Grant
Technology Focus	Broad
IP Consideration	Patent Potential
Project Budget	Up to $50,000
Funding Available for Cycle 2022-23	$300,000*
Download Program Materials for 2022-23 Cycle	STAIR Grant Program Announcement
	STAIR-Grant-RFP-2022-23
	STAIR-Application-Form-2022-23
	STAIR-Grant-2022-23 Instructions
	STAIR-2022-23-Funding Partners
	STAIR Grant Invitation to Self-Identify Form

*Supplemental funding available from campus and industry partners

Questions? Please email stairgrant@ucdavis.edu.