Funder ·

UNC Chapel Hill — OTC / UNC-NCSU BME / Eshelman School of Pharmacy

Funds UNC-Chapel Hill internal commercialization arms, including proof-of-concept and startup support for university inventors.

United Statesinnovate.unc.edu

Key stats

Annual funding—

Programs4

Active grants0

Total grants1

About

UNC Chapel Hill — OTC / UNC-NCSU BME / Eshelman School of Pharmacy comprises three distinct UNC-Chapel Hill internal units: (1) the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC) within Innovate Carolina, which provides proof-of-concept grants, KickStart awards up to $50K for IP-based faculty-led startups, and the 1789 Student Venture Fund (two rounds per year); (2) the UNC/NCSU Joint Department of …

Programs & grants under this funder

1789 Student Venture Fund

Supports student entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina with seed grants and structured mentorship.

Eshelman Innovation Curation Program (Therapeutics Accelerator)

Offers translational awards at the University of North Carolina for therapeutic innovations in cancer, brain, and infection treatment.

Eshelman Innovation Venture Studio (Kairos)

Offers a venture studio programme for University of North Carolina linked startups building digital health products through mentoring.

1 grant

Eshelman Innovation Venture Studio (Kairos)

Between cycles

— pool

KickStart Commercialization Awards

Funds early university-based startups in the United States with non-dilutive support and laboratory access.

Last verified: 1 Jun 2026Source: innovate.unc.edu