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.
GET NOTIFIED
Applications Open This Fall.
Be the first to know when the Request for Applications goes live — including eligibility details, timeline, and how to apply.
Join the Interest List
We'll email you the moment applications open, plus early details on eligibility and the review timeline.
