Innovation Accelerator

The application is open December 1, 2023, and closes on February 15, 2024. Start your application or attend an information session to learn more.

Submit your application

Applicants selected to move on to Round 2 are required to attend a Business Model Canvas session prior to the Round 2 interview.

Those selected to move on to Round 3 are provided with a practice pitch session and pitch template prior to the pitch event. Check out past Pitch Events.

Register to attend

• The potential of the proposed product or process to add value to health or healthcare
• Feasibility of the innovation and ability to practically implement
• Thoroughness of approach (timeline, milestones)
• Novelty of the innovation
• Strength of the team
• Timeline
• Potential for commercialization or sustainability of the proposed solution

• Feasibility to conduct the proposed work virtually in the context of COVID19, if applicable

In the current covid19 era all innovation applicants will need to keep in mind certain restrictions:

• If restrictions require, you will need to consider how can you understand the problem from the point of view of your stakeholders virtually or using other methods.
• In addition, considerations for how you will recruit participants, collect data, and test your innovation virtually or using other creative methods will also need to be considered.
• Meetings with mentors and peers as well as pitch sessions may take place virtually.

All winners of the Penn Nursing Innovation Accelerator must attend the 6-week, in-person, accelerator at the Pennovation Center, one afternoon per week between June-July, 2024 (excluding the week of July 4th).

By submitting an idea, participants acknowledge and hereby agree that they will fully comply with the program guidelines including all participation requirements and all applicable University of Pennsylvania policies and regulations. Failure by a participant to adhere to any of the rules, guidelines and conditions will result in withdrawal of such participant’s (or their team’s) proposal. Penn reserves the right to withdraw submissions at its sole discretion.

Submissions will be reviewed by a committee consisting of senior Penn faculty, staff, and selected external panelists. By submitting a proposal, participants hereby authorize Penn to share all information and materials provided to Penn by each participant (or team participants) with Penn faculty, staff, and third parties for the purposes of activities relating to reviewing submissions and awarding funding to recipients.