Groton — University professors and their students have plenty of ideas for new technologies but no formal launching pad from which to shoot them skyward.

And that's where the new Accelerate UConn program comes in, taking a different tack in promoting much-needed entrepreneurship throughout the state, officials said Monday during a meeting with professors and administrators at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point. It was the first in a series of meetings to be held at UConn campuses throughout the state to announce the program.

Rita Zangari, director of innovation programs at UConn, told about 20 members of the Avery Point community that the accelerator idea, supported by National Science Foundation grants that could total up to $300,000 over three years, is designed to see that more college-born technology innovations are developed for commercial use.

"It's great for students to be part of a startup," Zangari said. "It's a great learning experience in entrepreneurship."

The idea is to form teams of students and professors interested in developing a concept, give them small grants of up to $3,000 to test whether the product or service has further potential and then hook up the most commercially promising ideas to mentoring help and larger funding sources.

Zangari said UConn is one of several dozen universities nationwide to be named an NSF I-Corps site, but it is the first in Connecticut to receive the designation. The first round of grant applications is due by the end of September, she said, and the most promising of these projects will be eligible for $50,000 in NSF funding after being analyzed for commercial viability by a UConn panel.

The competitive program is largely meant to incubate ideas generated from UConn students and professors, Zangari said, though outside entrepreneurs could suggest ideas to academicians so long as there is a good reason for the university to be involved. Thirty grants will be awarded in the first round.

Zangari showed a chart during the presentation that indicated Connecticut lags neighboring states and the nation as a whole in the percentage of its new businesses that could be considered as innovation-based startups.

"A startup is really hard work," Zangari said.

Unique to the Accelerate UConn program, she added, innovators won't be left on their own. Instead, the whole concept revolves around forming a team with a customer-focused approach that quickly identifies possible customers and what they are looking for.

"We are looking for high-value concepts," Zangari said.

"It should be technology-based — something you could envision the National Science Foundation funding," added Greg Gallo, interim director of technology commercialization at UConn.

Zangari said money can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including data collection and prototyping. Gallo said $3,000 may not seem like a lot of money but it has proven to be effective in developing projects to the point of determining their commercial viability.

"That $3,000 is just to get you started," Gallo added.

Other resources, such as a fellowship program at the UConn School of Business that will aid eight to 10 startups in the first round of funding, also will be available, officials said. Applications, which can be filled out only by UConn-affiliated students and personnel (including companies at the university's Technology Incubation Program) are available at www.accelerate.uconn.edu/application/.

Some professors expressed concern during the meeting about the ethics of starting a company separate from their work at the university, considering UConn rules about not using their university position to "promote, advertise or solicit personal business."

The concern was heightened by word earlier this month that the National Science Foundation had suspended the award of more than $4.6 million in UConn research grants because two professors who founded Aquatic Sensor Network Technology LLC — a Storrs-based marine technology startup that once was housed at the Avery Point incubation program — had directed $253,500 in NSF grants to another company they controlled.

But Zangari said no one will be found in violation of ethics rules so long as they are transparent and receive approval for their projects beforehand from the proper authorities.

"We have many good ideas already in the university," Zangari said.

l.howard@theday.com

Twitter: @KingstonLeeHow