Tech Transfer Showcase

The Tech Transfer Showcase is designed to elevate academic innovations, support the next generation of entrepreneurs and industry leaders, and connect institutions with strategic partners. It offers a valuable opportunity to build relationships, attract funding, and accelerate the journey from lab to market.

Applicants selected to advance will have the opportunity to present their most promising innovations live at the iC³ Life Science Summit before an exclusive audience of industry leaders, investors, and potential collaborators. BioNTX convenes leading universities and research institutions from the Southwest region to spotlight early-stage life science technologies ready for licensing, collaboration, or acquisition.

Applicant Requirements:

  • Early-stage development and/or most promising intellectual property 

  • Recommended from their respective Tech Transfer Office 

  • Each academic institution can submit up to 2 separate applications 

  • Non-confidential information only 

Who can apply?

  • Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee academic institutions who have technologies available for licensing, collaboration and/or acquisition. 

Important Dates:

  • May 1, 2025: Applications open 

  • July 28, 2025: Applications closes at 5:00pm CST

  • August 7, 2025: Announce winning applicants

  • August 8, 2025: Mentor pairings

  • August 18, 2025: Pitch Deck draft due

  • August 22, 2025: First pitch practice (BioLabs or virtual)

  • September 5, 2025: Second pitch practice (BioLabs or virtual)

  • September 15, 2025: Submit final pitch deck slide

  • September 17, 2025: Applicants pitch at iC³ Summit

Applications closes on July 28, 2025

Testimonials

  • “The BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase program was extremely helpful for a first-time founder coming from an academic background. The help I received in designing a pitch deck that created a story around the value of our technology and the coaching sessions with experienced investors/industry leaders gave me the confidence to pitch at larger competitions. It was a great experience!”

    Michael Beauregard, PhD 

    Rice University

    2024 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase Participant

  • “BioNTX has created a unique opportunity for academic faculty to connect with and discuss our technologies with leading industry executives and commercially focused investors and partners. The feedback and conversations are vital to ensure that our basic research efforts align with commercial interests.”

    Venu Varanasi, PhD, MS

    The University of Texas at Arlington 

    2022 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase 1st Place Winner

  • “Winning second place was wonderful, but for me, this experience was more about the opportunity to share about the technology with potential partners, investors, and collaborators. The value for me was getting to meet new people and just the exposure of our technology, and so we know about other folks who are doing potentially related work. A number of people visited with me afterward, and I'm excited about the potential for obtaining additional funding support and moving this toward prototype, which is the next step for what we would like to do with our technology.”

    Linda Olafsen, PhD

    Baylor University

    2024 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase 2nd Place Winner

  • “Winning the 2024 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase was a huge milestone for our technology and the University of Texas at Austin. The whole Tech Transfer Showcase program from pitch deck reviews, pitch practice and genuine feedback from the judges was incredibly valuable. The exposure gave us visibility and elevated our credibility within the investor community, which helped us reach critical funding and clinical milestones on our development path.”

    Iman Salafian, MS, PMP

    The University of Texas at Austin

    2024 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase 1st Place Winner

  • "Texas Tech was excited to be selected as a finalist for the pitch event podium presentations. The mentoring process and practice sessions leading up to the pitch presentations were invaluable. This event is something all tech transfer offices could benefit from."

    David McClure, CLP

    Texas Tech University

    2022 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase Participant

  • “The Tech Transfer Showcase is an excellent example of how BioNTX is serving Texas universities and creating a strong life science ecosystem across the State of Texas.”

    Jennifer Souter, MBA

    Texas Tech University

    2022 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase Participant

  • “The BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase application and mentoring process was a fantastic experience. I would highly recommend this pitch event to any Tech Transfer Office looking to increase visibility and gain commercially minded feedback on your technologies.”

    Donald Anderson, MBA, PhD

    Baylor University

    2022 BioNTX Tech Transfer Showcase 1st Place Participant

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Tennessee academic institutions who have technologies available for licensing, collaboration and/or acquisition.

  • Exposure: Showcasing your technology increases its visibility among potential partners, investors, and collaborators. This exposure can lead to valuable connections and opportunities for collaboration or commercialization. 

    Networking: Tech transfer showcases bring together a diverse range of stakeholders, including industry professionals, investors, researchers, and entrepreneurs. Networking at these events can help you build relationships that may lead to partnerships, funding, or further development opportunities. 

    Access to Resources: Tech transfer showcases attract investors, funding organizations, and support services that can provide resources and expertise to help advance your technology. Engaging with these stakeholders at the event can open doors to funding, mentorship, and other forms of support. 

  • Any technology that could advance clinical outcomes, lower healthcare costs and/or accelerate delivery of innovative life science solutions. 

  • Your application will be scored against a rigorous evaluation matrix geared toward the commercial viability of the technology by an expert panel seasoned investors, entrepreneurs, and industry professionals. 

  • Even if you don’t win the top prize, you will receive valuable feedback on your technology and unprecedented exposure and connections to life science professionals within the Texas innovation ecosystem. 

  • That is exactly what this showcase is for – getting early-stage innovative ideas out in front of an audience of investors and industry professionals who can help you further develop and validate your idea/technology. 

  • All ideas and/or data must be protected as this will be a public disclosure. 

  • Monday, July 28, 2025 at 5:00pm CST 

  • This is a perfect opportunity to share your technology with local entrepreneurs searching for their next opportunity or provide a first look with industry executives who are diversifying their product portfolio or growing their research and product development pipeline through licensing, strategic partnership and/or research collaboration activities. 

  • That’s okay. This is where the business mentor can help fill some of the gaps for an innovative and disruptive technology and provide a valuable voice of customer information for your team. 

  • Each academic institution can submit up to two (2) separate applications per location. 

  • We will announce those who have made it to the next rounds on Thursday, August 7, 2025. 

  • If you have any additional questions, please reach out to Jacqueline Ho at jho@biontx.org.

Previous Tech Transfer Winners

  • 2024: Iman Salafian, MS, PMP

    The University of Texas at Austin

  • 2024: Linda Olafsen, PhD

    Baylor University

  • 2024: Connie Manz, MS

    The University of Texas at Dallas

  • 2023: Alexandra Jamieson

    The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute

  • 2022: Venu Varanasi, PhD, MS

    The University of Texas at Arlington