Researchers can apply for funding now, with awards announced in December.
Washington State University (WSU) is launching a commercialisation gap-funding programme that will let its researchers apply for in-house funding.
Although the total size of the programme has not been disclosed, individual awards will be up to $50,000. The submission process is staggered, with letters of intent due August 29, 2014, the pre-proposal due by September 25, 2014 and the full application due by November 25, 2014. The awards will be announced in December.
The funding will be given in incremental steps, dependent on milestones. To be eligible, researchers must demonstrate a high potential for commercialisation within the current 2014 to 2015 financial year. The research must also have been disclosed already and fit in either clean tech, human health, agricultural technology or IT sector. Part of the funding will need to be specifically dedicated to working out a business model.
The programme is the result of a recently announced partnership between WSU’s Office of Commercialisation and Seattle-based Accelerator Corporation.
Anson Fatland, WSU’s associate vice-president for economic development and external affair, said: “Transfer of WSU technologies to commercial entities follows the university’s land-grant mission by moving knowledge to benefit local and global communities, improving quality of life and enhancing the economy.”
