Grant Application Cycle Closed

The Innovation Co-Lab Grant Application is currently closed for the fall semester and will re-open on January 6th.

Got an idea for a technology project, but need a little help?

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Turning Ideas into Reality 

The Innovation Co-Lab Grant Program provides funding, mentorship, and access to resources that help Duke students transform ambitious ideas into tangible projects. 

Whether you're inspired to build a new device, create an interactive experience, explore a creative technology concept, or pursue an unconventional idea that doesn't fit neatly into an existing category, we want to help you get started. 

Our grants are designed to support students who are ready to move from inspiration to implementation. We believe some of the best projects begin with curiosity, experimentation, and a willingness to try something new. 

What We're Looking For

We support projects that are:

  • Innovative, creative, and exploratory
  • Hands-on and connected to making, building, designing, fabricating, programming, artificial intelligence, or prototyping
  • Related to the tools, expertise, and resources available through the Innovation Co-Lab
  • Focused on learning, experimentation, and personal growth
  • Inspired by a new idea rather than an incremental improvement to an existing project
  • Individual or team-based endeavors

We are especially excited by projects that are ambitious, interdisciplinary, unexpected, or a little unconventional. If your idea makes people say, "That's interesting—I haven't seen that before," you're probably in the right place.

What We Provide: 

  • Mentorship 
  • Having someone in your corner 
  • Your first yes 
  • Small seed funding

What We Fund

Innovation Co-Lab Grants provide small-scale seed funding to help students access materials and resources needed to bring an idea to life.

Most awards are a couple hundred dollars and support expenses such as:

  • Project materials and supplies
  • Electronics and components
  • Fabrication materials
  • Hardware and prototyping equipment
  • Sensors, motors, and specialty parts
  • Other physical resources required to build, test, and refine a project
  • Software subscriptions such as hosting, AI, or others on a short-term basis. 

In addition to funding, recipients receive guidance from Co-Lab staff and access to our makerspace community throughout the project.

What We Typically Don't Fund

Our grants are intended to help students start and develop new projects, rather than provide final funding for projects that are already well underway.

Because of this, we generally do not support:

  • Projects that are substantially complete before applying
  • Requests focused primarily on finishing an existing project
  • memberships, or long-term service fees
  • General-purpose personal purchases
  • Travel and living expenses
  • Hiring third party groups
  • Projects unrelated to the Innovation Co-Lab's makerspace resources and expertise
  • Research related to degree programs*

For safety reasons, we are unable to support projects involving weapons or devices that could reasonably be used as weapons.

Application Process

Applicants will be asked to describe:

  • Their project idea and inspiration
  • Goals and expected outcomes
  • Timeline and milestones
  • Team members (if applicable)
  • Budget and requested resources
  • How the Innovation Co-Lab can support the project

Applications are evaluated based on the originality of the idea, feasibility of the proposed plan, educational value, and alignment with the Innovation Co-Lab's mission and resources.

The Innovation Co-Lab accepts grant applications during two annual cycles:

Fall: August 24 - October 9  

Spring: January 6 - February 19

Applications submitted during these periods will be reviewed by the Innovation Co-Lab team.

Frequently Asked Questions about the Grant Program

The Innovation Co-Lab accepts grant applications during two annual cycles:

Fall Cycle

August 24 - October 9  

Spring Cycle 

January 6 - February 19

Most of our grant funds are spent on materials, equipment, and components related to a project. This could include items like Arduinos, Raspberry Pi devices, wiring, electrical components in physical computing projects, raw materials like woods, metals, plastics, and hardware in more mechanical projects, and occasionally software or web resources in software projects. 

These funds are intended to be used on materials and supplies directly related to the completion of the project by the team. Grants may not be used to pay for stipends, housing, travel, consultants, contract labor, food, drink, or entertainment. Additionally, this program is intended for very early-stage prototyping and idea exploration, so in most cases we do not support funds explicitly intended for user acquisition, marketing, or growth of existing projects.  

In addition to the fundamental learning experiences provided by the technology challenges of the project, this program is also designed to allow students to learn about project and team management, budget responsibility, and stakeholder reporting. If you are awarded funds for your project, you are responsible for keeping accurate transaction records and ensuring the project can remain financially viable, even if materials or equipment needs change as the project progresses (this is normal and totally OK!). Please also be aware that financial awards are taxable. Duke considers these awards to be income – please consult Employee Travel and Reimbursement for more information. For efforts associated with a club or student organization, fund code transfers are available and preferred.

Featured Grant Projects

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Bluetooth Bike Shifter

A universal electronic bike shifting system with Bluetooth and iOS components.