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Program

Rothenberg Innovation Initiative (RI²)

Funds high-risk faculty research projects bridging early science to commercial proof-of-concept.

The Rothenberg Innovation Initiative, known as RI2, is Caltech's internal seed-funding program run by the Office of Technology Transfer and Corporate Partnerships. It backs high-risk, high-reward faculty projects that can bridge early research to proof-of-concept data for commercially useful technologies.

Awards run up to $250,000 over two years, or $125,000 per year. Eligibility is limited to Ca

Max award$250K
Realistic median
Success rate
Decision time

No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Annual.

Last verified: 28 May 2026Source: innovation.caltech.edu