The University of Iowa (SUI) BioSciences Platform Development

Med-tech development is core to the University of Iowa area economic development success. Per the TEConomy summary, “In Iowa, technology development and startup activity are occurring around the convergence of University of Iowa biomedical research specialties and the University Hospitals’ clinical practice.” TEConomy went on to state, “Building interest and momentum with faculty to advance innovations along a commercialization pathway” was a key barrier that had to be overcome to realize the economic potential resident in Iowa.

The areas we are investing in during fiscal 2026 are the following:

 UI Ventures

UI Ventures supports research-driven startups on campus through GAP Funding (otherwise called seed funding) for early-stage product inventions and services intended to be licensed to industry, business support for early-stage University startups; on-going networking for faculty and staff from proven industry and startup leaders across the United States, including medtech entrepreneurs, and venture capitalists.

GAP Funding is essential to support connecting specific industry expertise with inventors to help advance ideas into viable prototypes (Protostudios) or business solutions to create investible startup companies; GAP (or seed funding) also serves to attract and retain entrepreneurial minded faculty to the university demonstrating that the University and the State of Iowa are here to support and encourage their entrepreneurial aspirations.

MADE and Protostudios

MADE, an FDA registered student managed manufacturing and e-commerce initiative whose mission is to bring innovative, needs based products to the market with the goal of solving problems and enhancing economic development as an extension of research and scholarship. The MADE program creates real world experience for the next generation of entrepreneurs while offering UI faculty and staff a unique outlet encouraging the development of simple solutions to everyday tasks in surgery or clinical practice. 

Protostudios continues to grow its presence and reputation with high quality design support, 3D printing and prototyping services; Proto and MADE work hand in hand with manufacturers, entrepreneurs and startup companies developing medical devices and other types of products. 

Together MADE and Protostudios provide innovators (internal or external to the UI) with the means to bring their ideas to life, enabling them to be tested and their applications validated while also manufacturing them to prove initial market demand. Without these two entities, Iowa’s innovators would have to look outside the state for providers to perform similar services.

New Integration Services via the Office of Innovation

The Iowa Innovation Leadership Fellowship training program for medical students, post docs and graduate students teaches the principles of bio design and medical entrepreneurism. We teach trainees tools to create solutions to unmet needs in healthcare and help in building an entrepreneurial ecosystem at the University by acting as innovation ambassadors scouting for inventions and spreading the message of available resources and sharing success stories about Iowa entrepreneurs. 

The statewide Nurse Innovator program gives agency to nurses to pursue solutions to unmet needs. Perhaps more than any other group, nurses constantly solve technical or process problems in their day to day work. We are empowering them to commercialize solutions. In 2026 we are expanding these initiatives as we build a more robust mechanism to communicate and collaborate across stakeholders.