Global Academic Inventors NetworkGive Advice. Get Advice.

Speak with people who have been there.

GAIN connects students, early-career researchers, and inventors with mentors who have built the careers, companies, and discoveries you're working toward.

A program of the National Academy of Inventors
Inventors, researchers, and mentors collaborating across institutions

Member institutions

Inventors at NAI Member Institutions across the world.

  • Arizona State University
  • University of Florida
  • University of South Florida
  • Miami University
  • New York University
  • NC State University
  • University of Washington
  • The Chinese University of Hong Kong

What you'll find

A network built around the conversations that matter.

Three places to find the people, the problems, and the playbooks you've been looking for.

01

Mentorship

Find a mentor who's already taken the path you're considering. Schedule a 30-minute conversation. Ask the questions you couldn't ask anywhere else.

Browse mentors →
02

Communities

Join Special Interest Groups led by senior inventors. Discuss problems with peers across institutions. Share what you're working on without the noise.

See communities →
03

Library

Curated publications, conversations, and case studies on intellectual property, fundraising, technology transfer, and the realities of bringing ideas to market.

Explore the library →
The GAIN platform — networking and mentorship for academic inventors

The program

One platform, shaped around the questions inventors actually ask.

From protecting intellectual property to securing funding, GAIN brings mentors, peers, and a curated resource library into one place — built for members of the National Academy of Inventors and the institutions they call home.

Read about the program →

Voices

The conversation I had through GAIN saved me eighteen months of guessing. I'd been trying to figure out the licensing question on my own — twenty minutes with someone who'd done it before changed the trajectory of the project.
RRajan ChakrabartyProfessor turned founder · Washington University
“As a mentor, I want to give back to the next generation of inventors. GAIN makes it easy to do that on my own time.”
JJulie AkhterSenior Director of Programs · NAI
“I came in looking for fundraising advice. I left with a community of people working on similar problems.”
UUpal RoyPostdoctoral researcher

Give Advice. Get Advice.

Ready to ask the question you've been holding onto?