FOUNDER'S BENCH: THE PREMIER WET LAB SPACE AWARD
Supporting Your Next Milestone with Lab Space & Resources.
The Founder’s Bench Award provides promising early-stage life science innovators with awarded wet lab bench access, high-end equipment, and strategic advisory at University Lab Partners. Built to de-risk key research without heavy upfront capital, each award cycle recognizes and supports breakthroughs in targeted therapeutic and technical fields, helping teams de-risk their technology and reach key valuation inflection points.
APPLICATIONS OPENING SOON
ACTIVE AWARD CYCLE: OPHTHALMOLOGY INNOVATION
Accelerating Next-Generation Ophthalmic Therapeutics & Medical Devices
Our active Founder's Bench award round is dedicated to Ophthalmology. We are accepting applications from early-stage founders, academic spinouts, and research teams advancing novel solutions in ocular drug delivery, retinal/anterior segment therapeutics, gene therapies, diagnostics, and ophthalmic devices.
WHY OPTHALMOLOGY
Orange County's Leading Eye-Health Ecosystem
Orange County is one of the world's leading ophthalmic clusters — anchored by UCI's Gavin Herbert Eye Institute, deep industry scientific leadership, Octane's Ophthalmology Tech Forum, and a rich network of investors and clinician-scientists, all just minutes from ULP. What the region has lacked is a physical landing pad: a place for a seed-stage ophthalmology company to put its science on a bench, in an ecosystem built around its business and rich with peers. The inaugural Founders' Bench cycle is dedicated to ophthalmology because that's where Orange County's advantage is strongest.
PROGRAM BENEFITS
What a Winner Receives
A full year of runway, resources, and relationships — built around one funded bench.
Investor & Community Exposure
Investor-showcase opportunities and daily proximity to ULP's resident cohort of life science companies.
SBIR/STTR
Readiness
Grant-readiness consulting and review mapped to upcoming NIH funding deadlines.
Mentorship & Expert Access
Direct access to industry scientists, clinicians, experienced founders, and regulatory and IP advisors.
UCI Resource Navigator
Concierge-style ULP support to connect with the right UCI faculty, core facilities, and student talent.
Funded Bench & Equipment
A funded lab bench with full shared-equipment access at ULP, the premier wet-lab incubator in the UCI Research Park.
ILLUSTRATIVE FOCUS AREAS
Where We're Looking to Invest
The inaugural cycle welcomes applications across a range of ophthalmology-related science, including:
Ophthalmic Surgical Technologies
Sustained & Targeted Ocular Drug Delivery
Ocular Surface Disease & Ocular Pain
Retina, AMD & Geographic Atrophy
Cell, Gene & Regenerative Therapies
Glaucoma Beyond Pressure Control
AI & Computational Ophthalmic Discovery
Final focus areas will be refined ahead of the official Request for Applications.
