Applied Research Laboratories is a University Affiliated Research Center operating under a Department of Defense management plan with oversight by the Naval Sea Systems Command. Applied Research Laboratories makes significant contributions in support of national security through fundamental research, innovative science, and applied engineering.

The E. Craig Nemec Elevator Challenge Award is a $1,000 prize given to the presenters of the top three elevator pitches at the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition. The award is named after Edward Craig Nemec, who began his entrepreneurial pursuits while completing his business degree at UT. Over the next 25 years, he grew it into the commercial real estate firm Pearson Group Capital Management, owners and operators of office and industrial properties.

The James D. Pippin Veteran Entrepreneurship Award is a $1,000 prize awarded to one of the top teams in the Texas Venture Labs Investment Competition with one or more U.S. military veteran cofounders. The award is named after James D. Pippin, a Retired Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army who served with RideScout co-founder and CEO Joseph Kopser. Sergeant Major Pippin is the only active duty serviceman to have conducted three airborne combat jumps.

For companies that have participated in our proposal preparation workshops and on-demand webinars, select 1:1 proposal preparation support may be available. Inquiries may be sent to Andrew Worden, Entrepreneurship Program Manager at Andrew.worden@austin.utexas.edu

Get help preparing your SBIR/STTR proposals. For UT Austin-affiliated startups preparing SBIR/STTR Phase I or Phase II proposals. Work with expert proposal preparers and ask questions specific to your proposal. Learn the details of agency-specific proposal preparation including electronic submission and commercialization plans. Agency-specific workshops for the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (DOD), and National Institutes of Health (NIH) are offered periodically.

Interested in SBIR/STTR funding but not sure where to begin? Writing your proposal and looking for expert guidance? On-demand webinars about SBIR/STTR programs and agency proposal requirements are available to the UT Austin community at no cost through our collaboration with BBC Entrepreneurial Training & Consulting.

The Drug Dynamics Institute focuses on innovators who are developing novel drug therapies, devices, diagnostics, and digital health solutions. Our courses emphasize the importance of team-based, applied learning across multiple disciplines, including Pharmacy, Engineering, Natural Sciences, Business, and more. Courses include Fundamentals of Health Innovations, Health Innovation Entrepreneurship Practicum, and Health Innovation Dexterity (in development).

Texas Biodesign is inspired by Stanford Biodesign’s process of front-end innovation development, in which interdisciplinary teams of researchers, engineers, business participants, and clinicians work to understand how to use needs-driven innovation to solve medical and business problems. Texas Biodesign is a collaboration between UT’s Texas Innovation Center and Texas Venture Labs, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, and NASA.

The Texas Institute for Discovery Education in Science (TIDES) aims to catalyze, support, and showcase innovative, evidence-based undergraduate science education in the College of Natural Sciences. TIDES serves a variety of connected roles: creating and connecting students to experiential learning opportunities; facilitating curriculum reform efforts and faculty development across the sciences; and collecting, curating, and analyzing data to steer TIDES and college evaluation efforts.