FAQs

What are the primary outcomes of UAccel?

The UAccel program’s goal is to advance the technology or innovation toward commercialization, including preparations for Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) grant applications, creation of a startup, or partnering with an established company to license the technology.

What does Launch Blue mean by “technology”?

The goal of the UAccel program is to advance a technology that is owned by a Kentucky institution of higher education toward commercialization. In this context, ‘technology’ refers to an innovation in areas such as 1) agriculture and bioscience, 2) energy and environmental technologies, 3) human health and personalized medicine, 4) information technology and new media, or 5) material science and advanced manufacturing. The innovation should have created or have the potential to create new intellectual property that may be protected through a patent or copyright which provides a competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Commercialization of these innovations will often require large investments of time and capital prior to commercial revenues.

Who is eligible for UAccel?

To be considered for the UAccel focused cohort, candidates must be affiliated with the University of Kentucky Office of Technology Commercialization (UK OTC) or a Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV) partner institution.

Candidates must also submit, or have submitted, an Invention Report or Idea Report to UK OTC or KCV.

If you are not affiliated with the University of Kentucky or a KCV partner institution and are interested in the UAccel program, have your tech transfer office reach out to us at x@launchblue.org.

How do I know if my team and technology will be a competitive candidate for the program?

Competitive candidates for UAccel will:

• Demonstrates a dedication to the technology commercialization process.

• Willingness to participate meaningfully in the program and work actively toward program milestones. (i.e. customer discovery interviews, active attendance in cohort meetings/coaching sessions, and review of platform materials, etc.)

• Scalable opportunity based on strong, stage-appropriate, protectable technology

What does participation in the program entail?

During the program, UAccel participants take part in:

• Bi-Weekly Cohort Meetings - Friday mornings

• Bi-Weekly Coaching Session - 30 minutes and scheduled individually.

• Video Lectures - around 30 minutes each lecture.

• Report Out Worksheets - around an hour every two weeks.

• Goals - every other week, teams will meet with Launch Blue coaches to set goals and problem solve around any challenges. Some of these goals will include customer discovery interviews and market research.

• In total participants should expect to commit at least seven hours a week.

The bi-weekly cohort meetings and the bi-weekly coaching sessions are online via Zoom. All meetings will have ASR captioning, if you need other accommodations, please reach out to us.

If you have additional questions, feel free to email us at x@launchblue.org. You are also welcome to attend our Virtual Office Hours Fridays at 12:30 pm ET.