MIT Programs and Resources
MIT has programs that foster innovation, including those listed below.
- MIT Venture Mentoring Service: A free and confidential educational service to help prospective entrepreneurs learn how to begin and sustain a future business.
- InnovationHQ: Collaborative space for innovators at MIT
- Technology Licensing Office: Provides guidance for entrepreneurs and start-ups.
- I-Corps: Innovation training and grants, supported by the National Science Foundation.
- Orbit: Resources collected by the Martin Trust Center for Entrepreneurship.
- StartMIT: A two-and-a-half week course in January in which innovators from across the U.S. teach participants the ins and outs of entrepreneurship. Information sessions are held in the fall, with a mid-November registration deadline.
Entrepreneurship and Postdoc Responsibilities
Sponsored funding terms, fellowship terms, and visa requirements may limit your pursuit of entrepreneurship as a postdoc. On-campus activities with minimal time requirements may not pose problems, while commitments outside MIT and/or more extensive arrangements require careful review, planning and approval (Touchstone required).
Approvals and Managing Conflicts of Interest or Commitment
If you identify an opportunity you would like to pursue, first discuss it with your department’s HR representative and with your PI. Additionally, postdocs with visas will need to consult the International Scholars Office before accepting an opportunity.
Keeping in mind that postdocs do not have Permitted Time for consulting work (see MIT Policies and Procedures 5.3.2 and 5.3.3), reduction in effort on a postdoc’s primary project is one option to investigate.
- Postdoctoral associates who are paid entirely from their supervisors’ sponsored research funds devote full-time effort to their research activities unless adjustments are made to their effort and appropriate approvals are in place.
- Postdoctoral fellows: Fellowship terms and supervisor approval will determine changes that can be made in the postdoc’s appointment.
Postdocs must also adhere to all required Institute policies and disclosures.
Updated August 25, 2025