Since the Pennovation Center’s grand opening last fall, its three floors have been bustling with energetic thinkers and doers from across the region. It’s evolved into a go-to work environment for a variety of entrepreneurs, who have set up shop in the Center’s labs, offices, and allocated co-working spaces, or in PERCH, the Penn Engineering Research and Collaboration Hub.

Thanks to a new initiative launched earlier this semester, innovators from the Penn community who are interested in working out of the Pennovation Center, specifically at a co-working desk, can now receive subsidized funding for memberships from the Office of the Vice Provost for Research.

It’s a unique design: The Vice Provost for Research office has set aside $50,000 this year to co-fund 50 percent of membership costs for students, faculty, postdoctoral associates, and recent alumni. The University’s schools that represent each member will fund the remaining half of the membership fee.

Michael Borda, director of strategic initiatives in the Office of the Vice Provost for Research, says the idea stemmed from Vice Provost Dawn Bonnell’s “interest in deepening the connection between the campus community and the Pennovation Center,” as well as helping the community advance entrepreneurial efforts.

Anyone from any school within Penn who thinks their project would benefit from working out of the Pennovation Center is eligible for funding, and should contact their department or school representatives to get more information about how to apply. Memberships are available on a month-to-month basis—a flexible fit for those with a startup mentality.

“It’s a great opportunity to join a like-minded community of entrepreneurs who are working in a broad range of disciplines,” Borda says. “There are biomedical researchers, tech folks, roboticists, and people across the entire spectrum of entrepreneurship. The real benefit is when they are together in a shared space and new ideas begin to happen.”

Examples of those who may apply include faculty and graduate students with new discoveries that could lead to products, postdocs or research associates wanting to spin out a company, or recent graduates continuing projects started at Penn.

Not only do the Pennovation Center memberships provide state-of-the-art space with access to conference rooms, administrative support, and office supplies, they also bring programming and incubation services to the forefront.

“The programming components that go with being in an incubator are invaluable,” Borda explains. “You have fortuitous interactions and also entrepreneurial education and exposure to service providers you might need, such as venture capital and legal services, as you are growing your business. Sometimes it’s important for an entrepreneur to get out of their typical environment, and that’s exactly what this experience at the Pennovation Center provides.”