Opportunities and Educaiton

INVEST helps graduate students and postdoctoral scholars build the skills needed to turn research into real-world impact. Through specialized coursework, hands-on projects, internships, mentorship, and industry partnerships, participants gain practical experience in innovation, entrepreneurship, and research translation. The program prepares the next generation of researchers to move discoveries beyond the lab and into communities, organizations, and the marketplace.

INVEST provides graduate students and postdoctoral scholars with a comprehensive pathway to develop the skills, experience, and networks needed to move discoveries beyond the lab. Through a new suite of stackable credentials in research innovation and entrepreneurship, participants gain foundational knowledge in research translation, design thinking, intellectual property, licensing, regulatory pathways, and commercialization.

The program combines classroom learning with hands-on experiential opportunities, including internships, incubator-based projects, industry engagement, and mentorship from innovators, investors, and community partners. By integrating innovation training into existing research programs, INVEST empowers emerging scholars to explore the real-world potential of their work while building valuable professional skills. The result is a new generation of researchers equipped to translate knowledge into solutions that create societal, economic, and technological impact.

INVEST Opportunity Fellowships will provide dedicated funding and support for promising graduate student innovators. These competitive fellowships give researchers the time, resources, and mentorship to advance entrepreneurial projects alongside their academic work, helping transform research discoveries into solutions with real-world impact.

INVEST is building a culture where research translation is part of the research journey. By embedding innovation and entrepreneurship opportunities within UVM's research ecosystem, the program helps students, faculty, and postdoctoral scholars explore real-world applications for their work, develop translational skills, and create pathways for discoveries to generate meaningful societal and economic impact.