UMass Announces $250,000 in Technology Development Fund Awards

New technologies aimed at improving prostate-cancer diagnosis, enhancing employment services for job seekers with disabilities, and optimizing clinical-use treatments for melanoma patients could get closer to market thanks to $250,000 in seed funding announced by the University of Massachusetts.

Ten faculty research projects will each receive up to $25,000 from the Technology Development Fund, an initiative which helps to commercialize scientific breakthroughs throughout the five-campus UMass system. The fund is overseen by the Office of Technology Commercialization and Ventures (OTCV) at the UMass President’s Office in Boston.

The Technology Development Fund awards provide supplemental funding to help close the gap between UMass research discoveries and proven technology that address local, national, and global challenges.

“These faculty innovations showcase how UMass continues to realize long-term growth and achievement in its commercialization enterprise,” said Carl Rust, executive director of Industry Engagement and Business Development, who oversees the OTCV initiative.