About this programme
The Blazer App Accelerator (BAA) is a program funded and administered by the Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (HIIE) at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. It supports UAB faculty, staff, and students who are developing software and app-based ideas, helping them validate promising concepts and prepare either for further funding through the Blazer Bridge Fund or for launch as startup companies.
HIIE delivers the program through a partnership with Harmony Venture Labs (HVL), a Birmingham company, using HVL's AppThink entrepreneurship program. AppThink provides a real-world curriculum meant to move founders from idea to execution, split into two four-week courses. The Harbert Institute covers the full cost of both courses for up to two team members per accepted application.
How it works
Course 1 focuses on early validation: testing the idea, understanding the problem being solved, and building a prototype, through weekly asynchronous content, weekly meetings (roughly two hours), and follow-up assignments. Applicants initially apply only for Course 1.
Teams that complete Course 1 successfully become eligible for Course 2, which covers audience development, minimum viable product (MVP) creation, go-to-market strategy, and scaling the product and company, again over four weeks.
Teams that complete both courses are encouraged to apply for a Blazer Bridge Fund grant of up to $50,000 to keep developing and de-risking their product.
Who can apply
Faculty members, staff, and postdoc intellectual property (IP) contributors are eligible to apply. Graduate students may apply with a faculty lead. Both individuals and teams can apply.
To be eligible for the award, applicants must submit, or have previously submitted, an IP disclosure covering the project through UAB's IP disclosure system.
Course 2 applications are open only to participants who successfully completed Course 1.
How to apply
- Watch for the Course 1 application window; for Cohort 3, applications are accepted between September 14, 2026 and October 16, 2026, and applications outside that window are not considered.
- Download the Course 1 application (a Word document linked on the program page), complete it, and email it to rf-programs@uab.edu.
- The Harbert Institute and AppThink teams review applications and select 10 to 20 participants or teams for Course 1, which runs in October-November 2026 (exact dates to be announced).
- If you complete Course 1 successfully, download and submit the Course 2 application when it opens (expected January 2027); Course 2 runs in Spring 2027.
- After completing both courses, consider applying separately for a Blazer Bridge Fund grant of up to $50,000.
Documents you’ll typically need
- IP disclosure covering the project (submitted through UAB's IP disclosure system)
- Course 1 application (Word document)
- Course 2 application (Word document, available only after completing Course 1)
Frequently asked
Does the Blazer App Accelerator give me money directly?
The accelerator itself doesn't disburse cash grants; the Harbert Institute covers the cost of the AppThink courses for up to two team members. Teams that finish both courses are encouraged to separately apply for a Blazer Bridge Fund grant of up to $50,000.
Can I apply straight to Course 2?
No. Course 2 applications are only available to participants who successfully completed Course 1.
Who can apply?
Faculty members, staff, and postdoc IP contributors can apply directly. Graduate students can apply with a faculty lead. You must have submitted (or be submitting) an IP disclosure covering the project.
What is AppThink?
AppThink is the entrepreneurship curriculum used to deliver the accelerator, run by Harmony Venture Labs, a Birmingham-based company partnered with HIIE. It provides the real-world course content for both four-week courses.
How much time does each course require?
Each four-week course includes weekly asynchronous online content, weekly meetings of roughly two hours, and follow-up assignments, with online content likely requiring an additional hour or more per week.
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Reviewed 2026-09-25. Programmes change, so check eligibility, amounts and deadlines on the official page before you apply. CapEasy is a private firm and is not part of any government body.