Grow Iowa Values Fund

Request for Proposals for "Grow Iowa Values Fund" Grants Competition

Spring 2010

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development is pleased to announce the sixth round of the grants program designed to expand the commercialization of ISU technology. The grants program is supported by Iowa economic development appropriations to the Board of Regents ("Grow Iowa Values Fund").

The funds are to support the development of ISU innovations with commercial potential and to help more ISU technology reach the marketplace as the foundation for new Iowa companies and/or the growth of existing Iowa companies. The funding is intended to support a wide range of stages in technology development, from the initial research concept (prior to intellectual property disclosure), to proof of concept, to licensing and commercialization. All proposals should have a clear commercial benefit or potential for the state of Iowa and must show a clear connection to Iowa industry(s). Interdisciplinary proposals are encouraged. Extensions to previously funded GIVF projects are also encouraged.

Competition for funding will occur annually. Approximately $1,000,000 in grant funding will be available this fiscal year (FY11). Funding per project is expected to range from $25,000 to $120,000 and a typical project would last 12 to 18 months.

Successful proposals will demonstrate a high potential to lead to one or more of the following:

• New Iowa businesses and/or jobs created based on ISU technology.
• Increased sales and/or profitability of Iowa companies developed from or utilizing ISU technology.
• Improvements in the products and/or practices in Iowa businesses receiving assistance from ISU programs.
• New ISU technology licensed to companies with an Iowa presence.
• Collaborative research projects with companies with an Iowa presence.
• Increased funding for research from Federal agencies (NSF, NIH, USDA, etc.)
• Submissions to the SBIR/STTR programs (Small Business Innovative Research & Small Business Technology Transfer)

Procedure for Proposal Submission

Each proposal should be brief and to the point in 12 pt font with 1" margins. The proposal template is included at the end of this RFP. Proposals must include:

• A cover sheet (one page maximum) that includes the project title, the names and contact information for the ISU participants, and an executive summary. A sample cover sheet is attached.
• A project description (three pages maximum). This should describe the scope of the work, the technology to be developed, project deliverables, and the commercialization potential for Iowa. The technical description should not exceed two pages and the information about commercialization should not be less than one page. In the commercialization section, please make a business case for this project, including a summary of the anticipated market size, number of jobs the project could result in, and a list of competitors.
• A budget (one page maximum). A budget justification should detail the planned expenditures and the amount and sources of matching funds. A different column should be used for each source of matching funds (i.e., ISU match in one column and an industry match in a separate column). A sample budget page is attached.
• Supporting documents (three pages maximum). This should include letters of support (one per page, maximum) from any collaborating companies or organizations in Iowa. Biographies for the participants should not be included.

Proposals missing the required information or not meeting these formatting standards may be automatically rejected.

Matching Funds Requirement

Each proposal must demonstrate one-to-one matching funds. Most sources of funding can be used as matches. Examples include:

• The university general fund, including faculty and staff salaries (even if these are from multiple sources), start-up funds and recruitment packages
• Federal funds
• Industry funds are strongly encouraged - cash or in-kind support. While not required, in comparing submissions, cash match will carry more weight than in-kind.
• Private gifts and endowments
• Pappajohn Center donor support
• Funds generated by the Research Park

State appropriations specifically directed to economic development programs at Iowa State University cannot be used as matches. Please contact Lisa Lorenzen (llorenze@iastate.edu ; 294-4740) in the VPR/ED office if you have specific questions regarding the ability to use matching funds.

Submission and Review Procedure

All proposals will be reviewed and ranked by the College for technical merit and by a Commercialization Team for commercial potential before being reviewed by a Final Review Committee. The Final Review Committee will recommend funding to the Provost and President. Prior to College review, the Colleges will receive guidance on evaluation criteria and a standard evaluation sheet to assist in the evaluation process. The Final Review Committee will consist of representatives from the Council of Deans, the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, the ISU Research Park/Pappajohn Center, the ISU Research Foundation and individuals from the private sector.

Each proposal should have only one Principal Investigator (PI), but may have additional Co-Principal Investigators (Co-PI's). The proposal should be submitted by email to industry@iastate.edu no later than June 01, 2010. The PI will receive email notification of the receipt of the proposal within 24 business hours. Each proposal should consist of just one document that includes the cover sheet, project description, budget, and supporting documentation.

Colleges will rank the proposals from their colleges and submit them to the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development by no later than June 15, 2010 for consideration by the Commercialization Team. The Commercialization Team will rank the proposals and submit them to the Final Review Committee by no later than June 22, 2010. The funding decisions will be announced no later than August 04, 2010, with funding available shortly after.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated for their potential to grow and enhance Iowa's economy. Each project will be ranked according to the following criteria. Each proposal should specifically address how the proposed project will address these criteria.

• Probability of technical success, e.g., potential to further develop the technology for an industry need or new product idea.
• Probability of commercial success, e.g., how the project will lead to an Iowa start-up or help an existing company.
• Magnitude of economic impact, measured in numbers of jobs created or retained, investment made in Iowa, or amount of other economic activity created.
• Potential to lead to future funding from non-ISU sources.
• Potential to strengthen ISU's research capabilities or capacity.
• Extensions to previously funded projects should demonstrate how this funding was leveraged to obtain additional funding from external sources such as SBIR/STTR, industry, NIH, NSF, USDA, etc.

Assistance in Preparing Proposals

All persons considering applying for a "Grow Iowa Values Fund" grant are encouraged to contact one or more of the individuals listed below for advice and assistance in the creation of a successful proposal. These people will also be able to answer questions about the purpose of the funding and the evaluation criteria. These individuals also will assist with project management after the proposals are funded.

Name Specialization Contact Information

Future RFPs for the "Grow Iowa Values Fund" Grant Program

The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development anticipates that Requests for Proposals (RFP) for the "Grow Iowa Values Fund" grants will be announced annually for as long as funding is available. Please read carefully the application instructions for any future RFP, because the application and review procedures may change as we optimize the RFP and review process.

Under unusual circumstances, projects may arise that, due to their compelling potential and timeliness, require immediate consideration. The Proposal Review Committee reserves the right to review such proposals on an ad hoc basis and submit their recommendations to the Provost and President.

Proposal for "Grow Iowa" Values Fund Grant Program

Project Title

PI: Name, Department, Campus Address
Campus Phone Number, Email Address

Co-PI: Name, Department, Campus Address
Campus Phone Number, Email Address

(List others as needed.)

Company Partners (List company name, number of employees, years in business, approximate annual sales (if not confidential), a contact name, address, email and phone)

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

(The Executive Summary goes here. Font should be 12 point. Not to exceed 350 words on this page in non-technical language.)

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

Technical Objectives (not to exceed 2 pages)

Commercialization Plan (minimum of 1 page)

Budget Justification

Please detail the planned expenditures and indicate the nature of sources of cost-shared funds (i.e. cash or in-kind).  Please also fill in the 'X' and/or 'Y' with the company name, as appropriate.

Vice President for Research and Economic Development
2610 Beardshear Hall, Ames, IA 50011-2036
Phone 515-294-6344, Fax 515-294-6100,

• ISU INDEX
• A
• B
• C
• D
• E
• F
• G
• H
• I
• J
• K
• L
• M
• N
• O
• P
• Q
• R
• S
• T
• U
• V
• W
• X
• Y
• Z