UGA Innovation Gateway — Georgia FAST Grant Program

Offers commercialization guidance at the University of Georgia, helping teams build federal-ready applications and startup readiness.

UGA Innovation Gateway is the University of Georgia's entrepreneurship and startup commercialization unit. It delivers the Georgia FAST Grant Program under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, making UGA the local delivery point for federal FAST support in Georgia.

The program funds Phase 0 help for Georgia-based small businesses that want to pursue SBIR and STTR awards. Its grant reaches up to $2,450 per applicant to cover the cost of a grant-writing consultant, and the eligibility screen favors for-profit technology ventures with proof-of-concept funding, Georgia incorporation or a Georgia operating base, and a path to job creation in the state.

The materials also report a rolling application process and a clear community-access angle: since 2024, UGA has co-administered the program with the Center for Black Entrepreneurship to widen reach into historically underserved communities. The source material also reports 27 grants totaling about $68,000 in FY2023, alongside SBA awards of $125,000 a year from 2021 to 2024 and another $200,000 in 2024.