TTAC Proof of Concept Program
Offers early-stage Tennessee innovators proof-of-concept support to de-risk and validate commercialization ideas.
Eligibility · United States · US-TN
⚠This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.
The TTAC Proof of Concept Program is administered by Launch Tennessee through its Tennessee Technology Advancement Coalition (TTAC) initiative, funded via a state of Tennessee grant contract (Launch Tennessee EIN: 62-1765738). The program funds early-stage experimental work by faculty and staff researchers at TTAC member institutions in Tennessee, with awards ranging from $1,500 to $15,000 per project. The FY26 cycle opened August 1, 2025 on a rolling basis and accepted applications through January 15, 2026 or until funds were exhausted. Projects were required to be completed by June 15, 2026, with final reports due June 30, 2026. This cycle is now closed.
Eligibility is restricted to faculty or staff researchers affiliated with TTAC member institutions — startups, independent applicants, and individual researchers without institutional affiliation are not eligible. A filed invention disclosure with the applicant's home institution is a hard prerequisite before applying. Applications are submitted through an Airtable portal and must include a project summary, detailed timeline, budget with justification, and confirmation of the filed invention disclosure. Projects must be at early development stage with a credible pathway to commercialization.
The Proof of Concept award is Stage 1 in a two-stage TTAC funding ladder. Researchers who successfully complete POC-funded work become eligible to apply for the TTAC Technology Maturation Grant (up to $100,000), which targets for-profit small businesses commercializing the same IP with an industry partner letter of interest. The FY27 cycle dates have not yet been published; researchers at TTAC member institutions should contact charles@launchtn.org to register interest and monitor the Launch Tennessee website for FY27 opening announcements.
Early-stage proof-of-concept experiments for any technology with commercialization potential, conducted by faculty or staff researchers at TTAC member institutions in Tennessee.
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