EXCEED | Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Discovery

Accelerate Your Research for Impact

EXCEED gives 91社区 researchers the support to move ideas beyond the lab and into real-world impact. Through a combination of targeted research funding, dedicated project support and hands-on entrepreneurship training, the Excellence in Entrepreneurship and Discovery (EXCEED) program helps faculty and their teams turn promising discoveries into innovations with the potential to attract external funding, industry partners and commercialization pathways.

Designed to strengthen 91社区鈥檚 research portfolio and regional innovation ecosystem, EXCEED supports faculty and students at every stage of translation, from early-stage validation to market-ready solutions. Explore how EXCEED can help you advance your work, grow your research network and expand the reach of your ideas.

  • Programs to Advance Your Learning
    EXCEED Technology Pre-Accelerator Program

    A dynamic 10-week initiative offering cohort-based technology commercialization and entrepreneurship training. This extracurricular program is a partnership with SUNY Summer Startup School (S4) and I-Corps that delves into the fundamentals of technology commercialization, use-inspired research, customer discovery, and IP protection, while also exploring industry collaborations, company launch, and funding acquisition. Participants gain practical insights applicable to their research translation paths and future ventures. Successful completion qualifies teams for EXCEED Commercialization Stipends and Pre-Seed Grant Funds. 

    I-Corps

    This experiential course educates researchers, innovators, and entrepreneurs on lean-startup methodology and provides the opportunity to conduct customer discovery interviews to determine product-market fit. The course consists of six 1-to-2-hour sessions, customer discovery interviews, and upon successful completion, eligibility to apply for a $3,000 I-Corps microgrant. Learn more about I-Corps with 91社区.

    Graduate Entrepreneurship Seminar Course

    Coming Spring 2025, this new 1-2 credit seminar course provides an introduction to technology commercialization and entrepreneurship.  Potential topics include Intellectual Property (IP) Protection; Technology Transfer and Commercialization; Customer Discovery and Lean Launchpad; Startups and Business Models; Funding and Investment. The seminar will include case studies from regional and more developed ecosystems, using entrepreneurs, industry experts, and investor guest speakers. Open to all 91社区 graduate students.

  • Programs to Advance Your Funding
    Seed Translation Research Project

    Seed Translation Research Project (STRP) supports two innovative translational projects per year with a $150,000 grant to support innovation commercialization. The program focuses on technologies with defined pathways to translation and exit opportunities.

    Pre-SEED Grant Fund

    A rolling-application funding opportunity supporting de-risked and validated innovation aimed to propel proof-of-concept projects by providing essential funding for customer discovery, preliminary data, and standard industry-required compliance.

  • Programs to Advance Your Research
    Undergraduate Innovation Internship

    To broaden student engagement in innovation and research translation, this program offers internships with 91社区鈥檚 technology transfer office, as well as hands-on technical research internships in university inventor labs. The internships are paid, require a 10-hour-per-week commitment, and are available during the Fall and Spring semesters. The program prioritizes outreach to students across a wide range of academic backgrounds and aims to expand access to experiential opportunities in STEM and entrepreneurship.

    EXCEED Innovation Fellows 

    Students and postdocs participating in the EXCEED Pre-Accelerator will be eligible for Innovation Stipends (up to $9,000) allowing them to focus on technology commercialization or human-centered design efforts for a period of up to 6 months. The applicants will have to demonstrate that their work will advance research translation and will not comprise fundamental research.

    ART Ambassador

    A diverse group drawn from various campus divisions and disciplines, including academic and research sectors, graduate schools, and industry-facing centers. The ART Ambassadors aim to drive cultural change by advocating for the importance of use-inspired research and technology translation.

Get involved with EXCEED, and our staff will follow up with you.

Have questions? Contact the Technology Transfer Team by email.

EXCEED Program, Faculty Profile: Nathan Tumey

With support from a prestigious $6M NSF Accelerating Research Translation (ART) award, 91社区 was one of 18 academic institutions nationwide to receive support to increase the broader societal impact of academic research. Additionally, these efforts are supported by our mentor and our partner  .

EXCEED is being made possible from an innovation grant from the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) under Award 2331447