Nucleus Programs

  • At Nucleus Grow, we accelerate Utah’s next generation of deep tech, life sciences, AI, advanced manufacturing, cleantech, and frontier innovations. We partner with early-stage companies to turn bold ideas into market-ready solutions, fueling economic growth, new jobs, and Utah’s reputation as a global leader in science-driven innovation.

    Learn More

  • Fueling Utah’s boldest ideas from campus to commercial impact.

    Nucleus Fund is the reimagined Utah Innovation Fund—now embedded within the Nucleus Institute—continuing its mission to propel university-born technologies toward real-world success.

    What It Does

    Originally created by the State to support the commercialization of discoveries from Utah’s colleges and universities, the Nucleus Fund backs startups solving urgent problems in fields like water sustainability, biotechnology, AI, and advanced manufacturing. It invests in deep-tech ventures poised to make meaningful economic and societal impact. 

    How It Works

    Nucleus Fund provides early-stage capital and strategic support to founders connected with higher education institutions across Utah. Its approach includes:

    • Equity investments that anchor startup financing without diluting early-stage vision.

    • A curated operators database, matching startups with experienced founders and executives for mentorship and leadership support.

    • Connections to a broad service network—including legal, financial, and marketing expertise—to ensure startups get the operational support they need. 

    Why It Matters

    Operating as a state-supported fund, Nucleus Fund targets technologies with the potential to return an investment through commercialization. Its structure is designed to be evergreen, reinvesting returns back into Utah innovation. 

    Nucleus Fund not only provides early-stage capital, but builds a catalytic ecosystem that empowers founders to scale deep-tech ideas into companies that solve pressing global challenges.

    Nucleus Fund—where education, innovation, and investment meet to seed Utah’s future leaders.

    Lean More

  • Turning student talent into real-world impact.

    Nucleus ProLab connects top students from Utah’s public colleges and universities with companies, nonprofits, and public agencies to solve high-stakes challenges. Each project is short-term, credit-earning, and designed for immediate results.

    How It Works

    • Real Problems, Real Clients – Projects come directly from industry and community partners.

    • Earn Credit, Build Careers – Gain professional experience while completing academic requirements.

    • Expert-Guided – Faculty and industry mentors keep solutions innovative and practical.

    Why It Works

    With talent from all 16 public higher ed institutions, ProLab teams bring cross-disciplinary ideas, fast execution, and solutions ready to be put into action.

  • Helping Utah researchers take the next step.

    Nucleus MarketEdge is designed for professors, PhDs, and postdocs in Utah’s higher education system who are ready to explore the path from research to real-world impact. This virtual, cohort-based program gives innovators the structure, mentorship, and connections they need to navigate commercialization and startup formation with confidence.

    What You’ll Experience

    • Work alongside a select group of peers from across Utah’s higher education system

    • Learn from seasoned founders, industry experts, and active investors

    • Access online learning modules you can complete at your own pace

    • Participate in weekly virtual discussions to share progress and get feedback

    • Gain insight into funding opportunities, market readiness, and startup formation

    Who Should Join

    • Professors, PhDs, and postdocs based at a Utah university or technical college

    • Innovators curious about commercializing their research

    • Those ready to commit 8–10 hours a week for 8 weeks in a fully virtual program

    • Cost: Free

    Why Join

    • Build a network that spans academia, industry, and investment

    • Gain clarity on your commercialization path

    • Access resources that can help turn your idea into a viable business

    • Position yourself for potential grant funding upon program completion

  • Expert Forums Driving Utah’s Innovation Agenda

    Nucleus Catalysts are collaborative forums where our contributors and members share expertise, exchange insights, and shape strategies in the areas that matter most to Utah’s innovation economy.

    Each Catalyst brings together leaders from across industries, academia, and government to guide our work, identify opportunities, and accelerate progress. These focus areas evolve as challenges and priorities shift, ensuring that Catalysts remain relevant and future-facing.

    Current examples include work in Commercialization, Quantum, AI Researchers, EdTech, Neurotech, Innovation Experts & Rural Outreach — with more emerging as Utah’s innovation landscape grows.

    By convening the right voices in the right rooms, Catalysts help Nucleus translate vision into action and ideas into measurable impact.

  • Connecting Utah innovation to global capital.

    Nucleus Global connects Utah’s most promising ventures with a worldwide network of investors, funds, and strategic partners. We bridge entrepreneurs to capital — and investors to opportunity — through curated introductions, high-value events, and lasting cross-border relationships.

    Nucleus Global expands Utah’s reach, attracts international investment, and accelerates the growth of companies tackling some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

  • The Utah Quantum Institute is Utah’s central hub for quantum innovation — where universities, industries, and government partners come together to transform emerging quantum technologies into real-world impact.

    We serve as a system integrator for quantum, bridging discovery and deployment:

    • We connect research breakthroughs to markets and mission needs.

    • We align capital, talent, and infrastructure to advance quantum innovation.

    • We remove friction across Utah’s quantum development pipeline — from lab to launch.

    • We integrate technologies at varying Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) to accelerate commercialization and adoption.

    We envision Utah as the nation’s most collaborative and connected quantum ecosystem — the launchpad for quantum tech.

    Housed within Nucleus, Utah’s hub for its innovation economy, the Utah Quantum Institute convenes researchers, startups, and investors to shape the state’s quantum future.