Blazer Launchpad for Advanced Design & Engineering
The application cycle is now open.
Submit your proposal to begin the evaluation process: BLADE 2026 Application
BLADE is a university-wide rapid innovation engine designed to help UAB clinicians, researchers, faculty, staff, and collaborators translate promising ideas, unmet clinical or research needs, and early-stage concepts into engineered solutions.
BLADE leverages UAB Engineering & Innovative Technology Development (EITD) to define requirements, assess feasibility, design and build prototypes, test technical performance, and generate engineering outputs needed to support intellectual property, commercialization, and follow-on funding pathways.
Selected projects will receive focused engineering and product-development support through defined sprint-based engagements, typically ranging from feasibility assessment to proof-of-concept or functional prototype development. The goal is to de-risk high-potential concepts, generate tangible technical outputs, strengthen intellectual property and commercialization pathways, and improve competitiveness for grants, industry partnerships, licensing, startup formation, or internal deployment.
Funding Acknowledgment: BLADE is supported by UAB’s Strategic Investment Fund (SIF), which invests in projects aligned with UAB’s strategic plan.
Eligibility Requirements
- Applicants must be affiliated with UAB, including a UAB school, college, center, institute, unit, the UAB Health System, Children’s of Alabama, or a UAB-led collaboration.
- The submission must describe a clinical, research, educational, operational, commercial, or technical problem that could benefit from engineering or product-development support.
- Technologies currently licensed are not eligible.
- Projects should require a defined engineering, technical development, prototyping, testing, or systems-integration need appropriate for a scoped BLADE engagement. Example support areas include:
- Mechanical Engineering: CAD modeling, mechanical design, structural analysis, thermal/CFD analysis, packaging, fixture design, and manufacturability support.
- Electrical Engineering: circuit design, PCB development, sensor integration, data acquisition, power systems, instrumentation, and prototype electronics.
- Embedded Systems: firmware, microcontroller integration, device control logic, communication interfaces, and hardware/software integration.
- Software Development: application development, data systems, user interfaces, automation tools, device control software, and research-facing software workflows.
- AI/Data Science: data analysis pipelines, signal processing, machine learning support, algorithm development, visualization, and decision-support tools.
- Systems Engineering: requirements definition, interface control, risk tracking, technical architecture, verification planning, and design review support.
- Testing and Verification: bench testing, prototype evaluation, data collection, troubleshooting, performance characterization, and verification documentation.
- Design for Manufacturing: manufacturability review, material/process selection, assembly planning, cost-aware design refinement, and transition-to-production considerations.
- Regulatory Strategy: Regulatory pathway assessment, FDA and other regulatory framework identification, standards and guidance review, quality-system considerations, documentation planning, risk-management support, and early development planning to support future regulatory submissions.
- Human Factors: user workflow analysis, usability considerations, ergonomics, interface refinement, and early user-feedback integration.
- Prototype Fabrication and Integration: rapid prototyping, machining coordination, assembly, subsystem integration, inspection, and iterative prototype refinement.
Timeline and Review Process
- Submission Deadline: Applications for the initial review cycle must be submitted by August 31st, 2026 .
- Initial Screening: The BLADE team reviews submissions for completeness, UAB affiliation, fit with BLADE’s mission, need for engineering support, and basic feasibility for a scoped engagement.
- External Reviewer Input: Eligible submissions will be shared with external reviewers with relevant technical, clinical, commercialization, regulatory, venture, or industry expertise. External reviewers provide advisory feedback on feasibility, translational potential, market relevance, development risk, and project fit.
- Steering Committee Review: The Steering Committee reviews screened submissions and external reviewer feedback to evaluate problem significance, solution feasibility, commercialization or translation potential, strategic alignment, resource fit, and expected impact.
- Scoring and Prioritization: Projects are scored and prioritized using a weighted review process that incorporates submission quality, BLADE staff screening, external reviewer input, Steering Committee discussion, strategic fit, technical feasibility, and resource availability.
- Review Completion: Submission review is expected to finish by September 30th, 2026 .
- Funding and Engagement Decision: Projects may be approved, approved with modifications, waitlisted, or declined. Approved projects may be assigned to an exploratory assessment, feasibility sprint, prototype sprint, advanced development engagement, or commercialization-support pathway.
- Sprint Execution: Selected projects proceed through defined BLADE engagements, commonly including 30 to 60-day feasibility sprints or 90 to 180-day prototype sprints, depending on maturity, technical risk, resource availability, and requested deliverable.
- Post-Sprint Transition: At completion, projects are expected to have a defined next step, such as an invention disclosure, patent filing, grant proposal, pilot study, industry partnership, licensing opportunity, startup formation, further development funding, or internal deployment pathway.
Questions: For questions regarding BLADE, contact Andres Morales at