Gilhuly Accelerator Fund

Gilhuly Accelerator Fund

Backs research teams and institutions for Gilhuly Accelerator Fund in biotechnology, medical technology, and hardware.

The Gilhuly Accelerator Fund is a rolling translational grant programme operated by the Duke Office for Translation and Commercialization (OTC) to support Duke inventors bringing Duke-owned intellectual property toward commercial deployment. Awards range from $10,000 to $100,000 per yearlong grant, with the possibility of milestone-based tranching. In FY2024, the fund distributed $1.2 million across 16 projects; cumulatively since FY2022, it has awarded more than $2 million to 26 projects, which collectively secured more than $4 million in follow-on funding. The fund was established by founding donor Ned Gilhuly (Duke Class of 1982, Duke Trustee) and received a $1 million gift from professor Jungsang Kim and Soyeon Nam.

Eligibility requires that the project involve Duke-owned intellectual property — personally-owned IP is categorically excluded. Duke faculty, staff, students, graduate assistants, and Duke University Health System employees are eligible inventors. Indirect costs (F&A), tuition support, and capital equipment are disallowed uses of award funds; eligible expenditures include salary or stipend directly related to the project and external services such as contract research organizations.

Applications cannot be submitted directly by inventors. The process begins with filing an invention disclosure form, followed by engagement with the inventor's assigned OTC licensing manager, who then nominates and submits the project to an internal review committee of OTC leadership and external advisors. Reviews run on a rolling monthly basis. Funded projects must participate in regular team updates and milestone reports throughout the award period. The fund is reachable at otcquestions@duke.edu or (919) 681-7167.