Stevens Debuts Programs to Support Research-Based Startup Formation and Industry Collaboration

On Feb 23, 2026

Stevens Institute of Technology has launched two new pathways designed to accelerate the translation of Stevens’ research into real-world impact: the Stevens Express Startup License and Stevens Innovation Access. These efforts aim to simplify the process of industry collaboration and commercialization, without which many promising discoveries would remain confined to academic papers.

As outlined in Stevens’ strategic plan, Stevens 2032: Inspired by Humanity, Powered by Technology, one of the four key strategic priorities for institute is to amplify the impact of the schools’ technology-centric scholarship, discovery, invention and innovation enterprise to solve societal problems. The Stevens Express Startup License and Stevens Innovation Access underscore that commitment by enabling faculty, postdoctoral researchers, graduate students and their collaborators to more efficiently translate discoveries and inventions into products, services and startups.

The Stevens Express Startup License provides a path for launching startups based on Stevens’ research through a set of predefined licensing terms. After soliciting input from early-stage inventors and startup founders and benchmarking against similar programs at leading research universities, Stevens’ Office of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures developed a turnkey solution. The program is designed to offer clear and predictable expectations, reducing legal complexity for new companies. Participation in the program is optional and founding teams may still pursue a traditional license if that approach better suits their needs. The purpose of the Express License is to lower the barrier to startup formation at Stevens at a time when startups have become a dominant pathway for translating university-based innovation into market solutions.

The Stevens Innovation Access program provides clear, upfront intellectual property (IP) options for industry-sponsored research at Stevens. Companies consistently seek early clarity on how IP will be managed before advancing into substantive technical discussions or investing in contract development. By removing negotiation hurdles at the outset, the program enables collaboration opportunities to move more efficiently from initial interest to active partnership. Increasing industry-sponsored research is an element of the aforementioned strategic plan, and providing predictable, easy-to-understand IP pathways helps administrative leadership and research-active faculty explore collaborations at scale. Modeled after national best practices, this approach positions Stevens as an industry-friendly partner that is “open for business.”

“These initiatives advance our ambitions for bold action to expand our research and innovation enterprise,” said Jianmin Qu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “They reflect Stevens’ commitment to helping faculty, postdoctoral researchers and students move their scientific work toward practical applications that create real-world benefit.”

“Stevens faculty, postdoctoral staff and PhD students have shown strong interest in advancing their discoveries toward practical use,” said Ed Synakowski, vice provost for research and innovation. “We are building the institutional infrastructure and capacity needed to support research translation. The Stevens Express Startup License and Stevens Innovation Access are an important part of that effort.”

“Our researchers are generating ideas with the potential to address some of society’s most pressing challenges,” said Shintaro Kaido, director of the Office of Technology Commercialization and New Ventures. “Our goal is to enable promising discoveries to move beyond the lab and toward real-world products and services through clear pathways and strong institutional support.”

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