Innovation in Delaware

Delaware’s diverse range of industries and talent provides countless ways to prosper at all levels.

Delaware is a Powerhouse for Innovation

For over 200 years, Delaware has been at the forefront of innovation and discovery-driven by giants in industry like DuPont. Today this legacy continues to be a pioneering force in the growth and prosperity of our diverse range of industries.

An Innovation & Entrepreneurship Ecosystem

Four companies headquartered in Delaware — AstraZeneca, Corteva, DuPont and Delaware’s robust ecosystem of professional and financial support, as well government, education and media resources, provides a fertile environment for business growth and innovation.

Delaware is consistently recognized for our state of innovation:

Top ten best states for entrepreneurship (U.S. News & World Report, 2019)
#2 Average Number of Minority-Owned Businesses (Paychex, 2018)
#3 Innovation Capacity (Information Technology & Innovation Foundation, 2017)
Top 5 Best States for Data Innovation (Center for Data Innovation, 2017)
#6 U.S. State Innovation Index (Bloomberg, 2019)
#7 State Technology and Science Index (Milken Institute, 2018)
Top 10 Most Innovative States (WalletHub, 2019)
#1 Best States for Remote Work (WalletHub, 2020)
Delaware innovators have been issued the most patents, per capita, in the U.S.

Explore our Delaware Startup Resources Guide by clicking below.

Startup Map

Innovation & Entrepreneurship Centers

Science, Technology, and Advanced Research (STAR) Campus at the University of Delaware: The University of Delaware transformed a former Chrysler plant into the 272-acre STAR Campus with the goal of combining research, talent, and businesses in one location in the state.
- - The National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) is building a $156 million, 200,000 square-foot Biopharmaceutical Innovation Building at the STAR Campus, which will feature state-of-the-art labs and serve as a cutting-edge center for R&D and biopharmaceutical workforce training.
  - The newly built Chemours building at STAR is the global chemical company’s research and development headquarters, with access to a talented workforce from a top ten chemical engineering program.
  - The Tower at STAR Campus is an integral part of the University’s College of Health Sciences with language, hearing, speech and sleep research facilities.
The University of Delaware fosters entrepreneurial talent with the highly regarded Horn Entrepreneurship Program, which gives students access to hands-on, project- based learning with potential venture capital investment.
Delaware Technology Park (DTP): DTP is a leading nonprofit research park designed to provide early-stage companies with access to resources and connections.
Delaware Innovation Space: Operating at DuPont’s Experimental Station Campus, this space offers more than 100,000 square feet of state-of-the-art lab space, focused on supporting growing companies in science, technology, manufacturing and more.
The Christiana Care Gene Editing Institute is the only research institute of its kind based within a community health care system and focuses on using the CRISPR gene editing tool.
Emerging Enterprise Center: Provides affordable office space for entrepreneurs, along with regular pitching, incubator, mentorship and networking programs.
The WIN Factory: The WIN Factory is Wilmington’s first Black-owned coworking space with a mission to create a community of mutual support for entrepreneurs.
Middletown Business Incubator & Collaborative Workspace: Provides resources for businesses and entrepreneurs to grow and be successful in the southern New Castle area.
First Founder’s Accelerator: The Accelerator’s mission is to boost underrepresented founders — those from one or more groups including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ, people with disabilities and women — with a free 12-week program of educational sessions and mentoring.
Equitable Entrepreneurial Ecosystem (E3): Barclays US Consumer Bank, Pete du Pont Freedom Foundation and Wilmington Alliance partnered to create E3 to foster racial equity, especially in terms of resources, contracts and funding.

University Research Programs

Delaware State University’s Center for Neuroscience Research partners with the University of Delaware to conduct innovative research on molecular and cellular neuroscience and was awarded a $10 million NIH grant to expand on successes achieved in Phase I research.
Delaware State University has received funding from the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing Biopharmaceuticals (NIIMBL) for a biopharmaceutical training center and will be one of only two HBCUs with a comprehensive program that prepares students to enter the biopharmaceutical workforce.
In 2016, the Center for Composite Materials (CCM) at the University of Delaware received a $14.9 million three-year grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency for the Tailorable Feedstock and Forming Program, which could potentially revolutionize the use of composite materials worldwide as a replacement for small metal parts in the aerospace industry.

Subscribe for email updates

Cost of Living Index Calculator