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IEA Innovation Fund

Innovation in·no·va·tion
noun
1: a new idea, method, or device: NOVELTY
2: the introduction of something new

  • Do you have a great idea that just needs a financial boost to make it happen?
  • Do you want to expand your program's research capabilities?
  • Do you need to hire students or buy equipment that will help you gather the data you need to advance the development of a new product or approach in the diagnosis and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease?

That’s where the UW Initiative to End Alzheimer’s (IEA) Innovation Fund can help.

The IEA Innovation Fund was created to provide direct seed funding to Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Disease
Research Center (ADRC), Wisconsin Alzheimer’s Institute (WAI) and Department of Geriatrics PIs, staff
and program teams to help advance the most promising new ideas in AD research and programming,
enhance resources available to researchers, program leads and staff and respond to innovative and
emerging needs of this area of medicine.

With an initial goal to raise $100,000 in charitable support in its first phase, the IEA Innovation Fund
aims to be a key driver of novel ideas and entrepreneurial energy for both the ADRC and WAI.

So, how does this work?

The IEA Innovation Fund accepts applications on a rolling basis, with $100,000 in funding currently available.  

Fill out this simple, one-page Pitch Sheet to share your ideas with the technical review team.  Note: Feel free to submit via the Pitch Sheet available here as a PDF rather than submitting the Google Form.

Once your application is reviewed, the technical review team will reach out to schedule an intake interview to determine eligibility.  

Award decisions will be communicated to applicants within eight weeks of submission. Each awardee will be asked to provide a final report detailing their accomplishments.

If you have any questions about the fund, please contact WAI Administrator,  Sarah Klein, or ADRC Executive Administrator, Nicole Smialek

Here are some areas of funding that might spark an idea:  

Pilot Funding: Got a great idea? These pilot funds can help researchers gather data to pursue much larger federal grants or industry awards.  

Start-Up Funding: New faculty, programs or teams often need specific equipment, supplies and staff to launch their research initiatives quickly.  

Bridge Funding: Gaps in funding shouldn’t stop good work! Bridge funding allows researchers to receive short-term funding to continue working and sustain momentum.  

Clinical Research Funding: Increase participant enrollment with focused outreach and engagement campaigns to help register as many participants as possible.  

Equipment Funding: Upgrades to our current equipment, new equipment and service agreements  

Recruitment and Retention Funding: Hiring and keeping the best minds takes monetary investment in our workforce — this can range from providing staff with opportunities to attend key conferences, delivering in-house training to staff or bringing teams together to build a stronger workplace culture through inclusive activities and programs.  

Educational Program Funding: Implementing the Wisconsin Idea by sharing our knowledge and expertise via hosted symposiums, conferences, lectures, summer research experiences for undergraduate students and matching support for sponsored training programs.  

Have an idea that doesn’t fall into these categories? That’s innovation in a nutshell — we would love to hear about it! Please contact WAI Administrator,  Sarah Klein, or ADRC Executive Administrator, Nicole Smialek