The Roberts Innovation Fund, launched in 2022 and managed by Yale Ventures under the Yale Engineering Dean’s Office, supports high-impact technologies with the potential to transform a broad range of fields. Beyond financial support, awardees gain access to expert mentorship, industry connections, and over $1.8 million in cloud computing credits from Amazon, Google, and Microsoft. These innovations will be showcased publicly for the first time at the Yale Innovation Summit on May 28, 2025.
This year’s awardees include Peter Rakich, Donna L. Dubinsky Professor of Applied Physics & Physics, and Greg Luther, CEO and co-founder of Resonance Micro Technologies Inc., for their work on compact, ultra-high-stability vacuum-gap reference cavities. Their novel micro-resonators and oscillators address key limitations in both classical and quantum systems, with potential applications in GPS, radar, sensing, and communications. Their invention aims to dramatically improve timing precision by lowering oscillator noise—critical for advancing technologies that rely on accurate position, motion, and signal detection. Read more here.