Lab Bench to Commercialization (LB2C) Grant Program accepting 2024-25 proposals

The Penn State Eberly College of Science’s Lab Bench to Commercialization (LB2C) Grant Program is now accepting applications for its 2024-25 funding cycle.

The Eberly College of Science is committed to supporting its researchers in translating their research for society. Translation is an early part of technology transfer where scientific discoveries are aligned to tangible solutions to societal challenges. The Lab Bench to Commercialization Grant Program provides competitive funds for college researchers and their collaborators to explore translation of their research, for example by testing a novel idea and generating a proof of concept. The intent of the program is to stimulate and foster a strong pipeline of ideas that may progress to future invention disclosures.

Researchers from the Eberly College of Science, or teams with at least one member from the college, are eligible to apply. Teams that include graduate students and postdoctoral scholars are encouraged.

The LB2C Grant supports projects at a very early technology development stage that may include but are not limited to therapeutic discovery, biotechnology, devices, materials, software, educational tools, syntheses, and algorithms. The proposed technology should not have been publicly disclosed (e.g. in manuscripts, abstracts, or presentations) and should not be the subject of existing patents or patent applications. At the end of the funding program, the technology may be ready for disclosure and patenting, or it may need additional development to identify a specific invention concept.

The LB2C Grant will provide $30,000 to $70,000 to the principal investigator. In addition to funding, researchers will work with the college’s Office for Innovation, which will assist grantees in evaluating their technology towards translation, engage the assistance of the Technology Advisory Board to critically evaluate the technology, find future sources for translational funds, and create a strategy for commercialization.

For more information and to apply, visit the Lab Bench to Commercialization Grant Program website or email Emily Kuhns, Director of the Office for Innovation.