The Idea2Prototype (I2P) Development Fund is designed to help bring your tech-enabled innovative ideas to life. If you’re a student, postdoc, or researcher working on a technology-driven innovation or prototype, this fund provides resources to take your idea to the next stage. With funding and mentorship opportunities, we aim to support the next wave of breakthrough technologies and prototypes that can make a real-world impact.

About the I2P Development Fund
The I2P Development Fund provides financial support to help early-stage innovators build and refine tech-enabled prototypes. Whether you’re developing hardware, software, or technology for social impact, this fund can give you the resources to develop a functional prototype, conduct testing, and further de-risk your technology.

Fund Details

• Funding Purpose: This funding is intended to cover prototype development costs such as materials and supplies, software licenses, equipment use, and testing.
• Eligibility: Open to students, postdocs, and researchers in engineering.
• Funding Amount: Up to $3,000 per project. Award amounts may vary depending on the number of applications received and available budget.
• Project Focus: Technology-driven prototyping and/or testing.
• Expectations: Awardees are expected to present their progress twice during the funding period, potentially at eHub events or other university-wide forums, and submit a final written report summarizing outcomes, key learnings, and next steps.

Apply Here

Judging Criteria

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Innovation: How unique and groundbreaking is the idea?
• Feasibility: Can the project realistically be developed with the allocated funds?
• Impact: What potential does the prototype have to solve a problem or create value?
• Clarity and Purpose: Is the proposal well-defined with clear objectives and milestones?
• Bigger Picture Fit: How well does the project demonstrate where support from the I2P Fund fits into the applicant’s larger plan for advancing their innovation?

Funding Timeline

Applications are accepted twice a year, with the following deadlines:

• Fall Deadline: November 15th
• Spring Deadline: March 1st

Selected applicants will be notified within 4 weeks of the application deadline. Awardees will then have until the next academic year to complete their project and submit a final report.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or need further information about the I2P Development Fund, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

E-mail: leila.daneshmandi@uconn.edu