Resources for Researchers & Startups

COVID-19 technology?

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We have seen our inventors and entrepreneurs rise to the challenges brought by COVID-19 this past year, and we are thankful and proud of each one of you. We at UF Innovate are here to facilitate your efforts as you continue to invent, create entrepreneurial solutions, and do all you can to change the world for the better. We hope this page of resources and stories about how UF Innovate research and entrepreneurs are doing their part to help in this pandemic encourages and inspires you.

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Apply Here

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Small business owners can apply for a First Draw Loan from the Payroll Protection Program by the U.S. Small Business Administration. Applications still open.


Grants & Funding

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Looking for program development and funding opportunities during COVID-19? Visit UF’s Emerging Pathogen’s Funding webpage to learn about available grants.


Latest UF Research

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UF researchers continue to respond to the COVID-19 crisis by doing what they do best — finding answers and solutions. Read the latest research here.


Loan Guidelines

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The U.S. Chamber of Commerce continues to help companies stay afloat and keep paychecks flowing and more. Details on relief package and vaccines here.


CORD-19 Dataset

Help generate new insights to fight COVID-19, collaborate with other researchers worldwide, participate in the CORD-19 Challenge. Learn more.


UF Health Facts

Get the fast facts about UF Health’s responses and learn about the work our researchers conduct to combat the global pandemic. The latest here.


Startup Advice

logo for Osage University Partners, a venture capital firmDo you have an idea for a startup? OUP’s tech and life sciences teams are offering free VC office hours to UF researchers. Sign up for a 30-minute complimentary session.


Funding Innovation

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The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation pledges millions to fund innovation that tackles COVID-19 challenges. Get the latest here.


Impact on Research

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The coronavirus is a challenge impacting researchers at the university. UF Research is doing its best to keep researchers updated. More here.

UF Innovate Tech & Startups Aid the Fight

Hub Client SmartSteward Aiding in Detection and Prevention of COVID-19

UF Innovate | The Hub resident client SmartSteward Inc. is releasing antimicrobial surveillance and an alert system called SmartSteward EYE. It works in real-time, tracking lab reports, symptoms, and clinical observations to detect illnesses and immediately alert the medical staff by text. SmartSteward has been validated in nursing facilities for...
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SmartSteward Inc. Announces First Electronic Surveillance System for Early Detection of Respiratory Viruses Such As COVID-19 and Resistant Organism Outbreaks in Skilled Nursing Facilities

UF Innovate | The Hub resident client SmartSteward, Inc., a digital health company focused on advanced infection control and antibiotic stewardship software for skilled nursing facilities, is releasing new antimicrobial surveillance and an alert system called SmartSteward EYE™. In response to the current COVID-19 global outbreak, the company has modified...
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Expert: Outbreak Transmission Dynamics

As the world grapples for answers and action on the new coronavirus outbreak, researchers who study the dynamics of infectious disease outbreaks are quickly digging into the data. It’s familiar territory for Derek Cummings, Ph.D., a professor of biology at the University of Florida’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences...
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Coronavirus Consultant

John Lednicky, Ph.D., is a research professor, microbiologist and molecular biologist at UF’s College of Public Health and Health Professions and the Emerging Pathogens Institute where he studies an array of disease-causing microorganisms. He has spent decades investigating coronaviruses that affect people, bats, birds, cats, cows, dogs, ferrets, mice, and even pigs....
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How to Mentally Cope With the Coronavirus

Beyond making people sick, the coronavirus has spurred anxiety and panic as it spreads across the globe and in the United States. But Sherry Benton, founder and chief science officer of online therapy provider TAO Connect, a UF startup, says the paranoia surrounding the potential pandemic is vastly overblown. “You’ve...
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UF Scientists Are Trying to Prevent the Next “Coronavirus” in Florida

University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers, Kwang Cheol Jeong, Ph.D., and Samantha Wisely, Ph.D., are looking at the zoonotic potential of feral swine. These animals carry the pathogen that causes brucellosis, the most frequent wildlife disease that infects humans. If they also carry disease that can...
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