UW ECE has a long history of entrepreneurship, technology transfer, and startup generation. To further that growth, the Department is proud to offer the UW ECE Entrepreneurial Fellows Program (UW ECE-EFP), now in its second year. This 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 in the program receive full support for one year, mentorship from the Department’s network of industry experts and entrepreneurs, support for travel and expenses, and support for their principal investigator.
UW ECE Entrepreneurial Fellows Program helps turn research advances into real-world products
Click the article above to read about UW ECE’s first Entrepreneurial Fellows, Jared Nakahara (Levity) and Sen Zhang (MultiSensKnit). Nakahara and Zhang were also featured in this year’s issue of The Integrator, UW ECE’s flagship annual magazine highlighting the Department’s extraordinary faculty and student research and achievements.
Eligibility
- Current UW ECE doctoral student or postdoctoral scholar
- Eligible for a postdoctoral scholar position starting fall 2026
- 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
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.
How to Apply
The application for the 2026–27 UW ECE-EFP is now open. Please click on this link to apply.
Applications are due March 31, 2026 by 11:59 p.m.
Questions?
For more information, contact UW ECE Career and Industry Programs Manager, Rebecca Carlson.