Our Funding Sources
SPARK Colorado is supported by the State of Colorado AIA, the NIH REACH program, and CU Anschutz departments.
State of Colorado Advanced Industries Accelerator Program
SPARK Colorado is funded by the State of Colorado Office of Economic Development and International Trade (OEDIT) Advanced Industries Accelerator (AIA) Program, which supports Colorado’s seven advanced industries, including biotechnology. AIA Proof of Concept grants will fund up to a maximum of $150,000 per project and require a 3:1 match. That means, $50,000 matching funds are required for a total SPARK award of $200,000.
Learn more about OEDIT
Match Funds
The State of Colorado provides up to $150,00 per SPARK award. The State requires an additional $50,000 match for all awards. In the 2024 cycle, some of the awardees will need to provide the $50,000 match. The funds used as a match should be unencumbered, and available to be assigned to the grant at the start of the award. In the past, awardees have sourced match funds from departmental funds, gifts, Chancellor Discovery Innovation fund, and company investment. The SPARK team can help you identify the matching fund, if needed.
NIH REACH: Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hubs
The SPARK Colorado program became one of the NIH funded REACH hubs in 2019 and was awarded $4M to accelerate the commercialization of CU Anschutz Medical Campus technologies. Apart from funding, industry mentorship and education related to product development and commercialization, the Colorado REACH Hub also provides access to key federal partners including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), the U.S. Patent and Trade Office (USPTO), relevant companies and organizations within industry, and angel and venture capital investment communities.
Learn more about NIH REACH
CU Innovations
CU Anschutz
Anschutz Health Sciences Building
1890 N Revere Ct
Suite 6202
Mail Stop F411
Aurora, CO 80045
303-724-6653
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