ECE Entrepreneurial Fellows Program (ECE-EFP)
Applications now being accepted for the inaugural 2025–2026 cohort
Online application due March 31, 2025
Selected applications pitched on April 15, 2025
Decisions made by April 22, 2025
Funding begins fall quarter 2025
The University of Washington Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering (UW ECE) in Seattle, WA has a long history of entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and startup generation. Now, UW ECE is proud to announce the ECE Entrepreneurial Fellows Program (ECE-EFP). The program, supported exclusively by royalties earned on UW ECE innovations, is designed to support the transfer of research innovations into commercialized impact through prototyping, customer discovery, and market analysis. Fellows of the program receive full support for one year, mentorship from UW ECE’s network of industry experts and entrepreneurs, support for travel and expenses, and support for their principal investigator.
Eligibility
- Current UW ECE Ph.D. student or postdoctoral scholar
- Eligible for a postdoctoral scholar position starting fall 2025
- Has a mentorship agreement from a current UW ECE faculty member
- No concurrent fellowship during the award timeframe
- Project is currently not associated with a startup or other external venture
Budget
- Postdoctoral scholar salary and benefits for 12 months
- Partial salary support for faculty mentor
- Support for travel and supplies
Evaluation Criteria
In the online application, applications should describe a compelling project with near-term commercial potential. The technology should build on work of the applicant and their mentor, who will have demonstrated substantial, published contributions to the field. The applicant should describe a realistic timeline of technical and customer discovery milestones. Selected applicants will be invited to pitch to a review panel consisting of UW ECE faculty and industry partners. Decisions will be made by April 22, 2025.
Questions: email chair@ece.uw.edu