UTMB HEALTH TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM

ANNOUNCEMENT, FALL 2021

UTMB HEALTH TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION PROGRAM

BACKGROUND

One of the goals of UTMB Health is to support and promote technology transfer and commercialization of research discoveries. The Technology Commercialization Program (TCP) provides seed funds to support the commercialization of discoveries created at  UTMB Health. The funds for this program are made available from the UTMB Health President’s Royalty Fund. Through a partnership between the Chief Research Office and The Office of Technology Transfer, this program is usually offered twice a year, in the fall and spring. The distribution of funds will be handled by the Office of Sponsored Programs.

ELIGIBILITY

• All UTMB employees, students, staff, and trainees are eligible to submit an application to the UTMB Health TCP.
• The product to be developed and commercialized must be based upon UTMB-owned Technology and have the potential to provide meaningful healthcare benefits or viable commercial product(s).
• A UTMB Invention Disclosure (ID) Form describing the Technology must be submitted to the Office of Technology Transfer 15 days prior to the due date of the pre-proposal.

FUNDING AVAILABLE

A project can be awarded up to a maximum of $50,000 for a year. Awards will range between $10K and $50K. An awardee will be eligible for a competitive renewal during the next funding period. Committee members will base renewals on the milestones achieved and adequate progress shown during the first funding period.  Awards are anticipated to be made by April 5, 2022.

Special Notes:

• Preference will be given to proposals that focus on market opportunities and describe strategic paths to the commercialization of the product.
• The TCP award does not provide funds to support basic research or faculty salary.
• We encourage an inter-disciplinary approach. Special consideration will be given to proposals which include students, staff, and trainees in all four schools.
• Awardees are required to attend and present project updates in TCP-affiliated seminar series and workshops designed to enhance the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship at UTMB Health.
• Pre-application workshops - Prospective applicants are invited to attend an introductory workshop presented by the Office of Technology Transfer and the ITS Innovation & Entrepreneurship Studio. These interactive sessions will provide information about the Technology Commercialization Program and guidance for preparing a competitive proposal.  Workshops will be held virtually on November 18^th and December 16^th from 12:00-1:00 pm. To register, please go to https://utmb.startuptree.co/event/s/72K4MytVKWJmVzBbAR3Q3v/UTMB-HEALTH-TECHNOLOGY-COMMERCIALIZATION-PROGRAM-Workshop. If you have any questions please contact our team at innovate@utmb.edu.

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APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS

I) A pre-proposal package (two pages maximum) is required and must include the following:

(i) Preproposal title, Name of the Principal Investigators, and Collaborators

(ii) Background  related to the Technology

(iii) Problem

• What is the market problem that your technology will address?
• Who (industry, consumer type) is having the problem?

  (iv) Solution

• What is your solution? Give a brief description of the technology.
• How is it unique, and why is it better than the existing solutions?
• Provide evidence that supports the use of the proposed technology for the problem indicated.

  (v) Market

• What markets can be addressed by the products from your technology?
• Indicate the size of your market and any market drivers, if known.

  (vi) Potential Commercialization Partners (i.e. transition plan)

• What industries and companies would be logical commercialization partners?
• Have you contacted potential commercialization partners? If so, share feedback received.

  (vii) Proposed Use of Funding

• Briefly outline how the funds will be utilized to enhance the potential for commercialization, indicating the amount of the requested funds.

  Pre-proposal submission: Please submit electronically to Dr. Sundeep Mattamana, E: sumattam@utmb.edu no later than 5:00 pm on the due date (January 18, 2022).

  The pre-proposal package will be reviewed by the TCP Committee for its relevance to the TCP mission, and suitable concepts will be invited by January 31, 2022 to submit a full application using the guidelines below.

  II) GRANT PREPARATION

  Applicants should complete the package incorporating the following information in the order listed:

  1) Background and Proposed Plan: This section should not exceed four pages:

  (i-vi) Elaborate on the pre-proposal sections i-vi as needed. Please include a “target product profile” in the proposal. A target product profile is a strategic document that provides a summary of the product under development and clearly defines a pathway for the product to reach the desired commercial outcome.

  (vii) Statement of work: Please provide preliminary data in support of the technology to be advanced, and describe the methods of study, expected results, and alternatives. A collaboration with a technology developing/managing partner or plans to in-house develop such capacities will be weighed positively.

  (viii) Milestones.

  NOTE: The following website provides useful information for developing your target product profile: https://www.marsdd.com/mars-library/defining-your-target-product-profile-medical-device-products/

  2) Transition Plan: What you plan to do after completion of this funding (e.g. new extramural funds, licensing, new start-up company etc.)

  3) Additional Documents

  a) A list of cited literature: This section is not considered in page limitations.

  b) Biographical sketch: An NIH-style biographical sketch including other support information) should be included for the principal investigator and all co-investigators. Junior investigators should also list start-up funds available for their research program.

  c) Budget and budget justification: Please cite any additional funds for developing the proposed technology.

  e) OSP proposal routing form: An Office of Sponsored Programs Proposal Routing form must accompany all intramural research grant applications (copies of this form are available at the OSP web page: http://research.utmb.edu/osp/forms.shtm).

  Grant Submission: Please submit as a single PDF file to Dr. Sundeep Mattamana, E: sumattam@utmb.edu, no later than 5:00 pm on the due date (February 28, 2022).

  Late applications will not be reviewed unless there are extenuating circumstances and an extension is approved by Dr. Randall Urban (Chief Research Officer).

  III) APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

  The TCP Executive Committee (and invited Ad hoc members) will evaluate the grant applications using an oral review process. The applicant will be scheduled for a 10-minute oral presentation describing the proposal, followed by 10 minutes for questions. The applicant is expected to describe the technology, problem, solution, market, potential commercialization partners, the proposed use of funds, and milestones.

  The applicant may utilize the grant application or power-point format for oral presentation. If using power-point, please send your presentation to Dr. Sundeep Mattamana, E: sumattam@utmb.edu  no later than 5:00 pm on March 21, 2022. The tentatively scheduled date for the presentation is March 23, 2022. Every effort will be made to accommodate the applicant's schedule in choosing a time for the presentation. If you are not available on this date, please arrange to send your collaborator or co-Investigator.

  Reporting Requirements                 The Principal Investigator will be responsible for:

• Monitoring the progress and deliverables of the project.
• Submission of a one-page, six-month update on milestones achieved.
•  Submission of a final progress report describing the value created. Due within 45 days of completion of the project.