You can apply for funding in order to test and verify your idea at an early stage from Vinnova's proof of concept funding programme, VFT. UU Innovation manages the programme locally and our business advisors can support you based on what your project needs.
Together we can draw up a strategy for commercialising your idea, including how best to verify it. Verifying an idea could include activities such as assessing market needs and interest, analysing regulatory requirements and prototyping. Other activities that can be funded through VFT are patent applications, travel arrangements to meet partners or potential customers and building teams around the idea.
“VFT is a great opportunity for researchers and students in need of funding to commercialise their ideas or research projects. These funds enable us to support many activities that are key to strengthen the commercial prospects of the idea at an early stage – activities that traditional research funding cannot support”, says Hillevi Englund, business advisor and VFT- coordinator at UU Innovation.
In 2018, UU Innovation granted a total of SEK 2.6 million in the form of VFT funds to support ongoing commercialisation projects. Michael Nahashon’s project was one of them. Michael develops e-health solutions for increased quality of life for patients with chronic diseases. He has founded the company MaishaBit to bring the product to market.
“Thanks to funding from VFT, MaishaBit AB could develop and verify its e-health platform, and we are now moving forward with market penetration both in Sweden and internationally“, says Michael.
Janneke Keemink is a researcher at the Department of Pharmacy. She has developed a laboratory-based tool that can predict how a drug will act in our intestines and how much of it will reach the blood. The goal is to create a fully developed service that enables companies to make progress with their drug candidates faster than is currently possible. Funding through VFT has helped her project move forward.
”The VFT-financing helped us to start exploring the commercial potential of our research by supporting our patent application. In addition, it has helped us with crucial steps in establishing our company”, says Janneke.
If you have an idea that you would like to develop further or if you simply want to know more, please contact: Hillevi Englund, Business Advisor at UU Innovation, hillevi.englund@uuinnovation.uu.se or read more on our website: www.uuinnovation.uu.se
Sara Gredemark