UWM Research Foundation
Catalyst Grant Program
The UWM Research Foundation recently announced eight new grants in the third round of the Bradley Catalyst Grant Program. This round awarded $475,000, including $400,000 from the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation and $75,000 from the Richard and Ethel Herzfeld Foundation. This program has awarded over $1.4 million in the last three years, which has lead to new ideas, numerous patent applications, new startup companies, licenses to existing companies and has helped foster a culture of innovation at UWM.
Research Areas: The Catalyst Grant Program is designed to focus on science and engineering where UWM has the greatest potential to impact the local economy through commercialization activities. The program seeks to emphasize research areas that complement regional capabilities, including:
- Biomedical Engineering – including biomedical imaging
- Advanced Automation – including software, devices and sensors
- Healthcare Informatics
- Materials - including advanced nano-materials
- Biochemistry and Drug Design
- Water - including advanced sensors, point-of-use technologies and sustainable solutions
- Energy - including novel techniques for energy generation and sustainable designs
Award Amounts: Proposals were invited in the $50,000 to $75,000 range.
Commercialization and Intellectual Property: One of the goals of the program is to foster the development of intellectual property and the commercialization of UWM technologies. It is a requirement of the program that there be an active intellectual property matter with the UWM Research Foundation. This may include an invention disclosure already submitted to the UWM Research Foundation, a new invention disclosure related to the proposal, and active patent application (provisional or utility application), an issued patent managed by the UWM Research Foundation or an active copyright matter. The invention disclosure form can be found online at: http://graduateschool.uwm.edu/collaboration/for-researchers/invention-disclosure/.
Process: Investigators were asked to submit a short six page pre-proposal. A limited number of full proposals were invited based on assessment of the commercial and intellectual property potential by the UWM Research Foundation. Full proposals were reviewed by external scientific reviewers. Final recommendations to the funding organization(s) were based on external scientific assessment and commercial assessment by the UWM Research Foundation.
Qualification Criteria: Qualifying pre-proposals must meet the following criteria:
- Field of Study – sciences and engineering
- UWM researchers – project is for UWM-based research
- Funding Period – funding period shall be for one year, applicants may seek additional funding in future years.
- Amount of funding – project funding between $50,000 and $75,000 level for one year grants.
- Intellectual property – research must relate to an active intellectual property matter with the UWM Research Foundation (disclosure, patent application, or issued patent). Investigators who do not currently have an active matter may submit an invention disclosure along with the pre-proposal.
Programmatic/Commercial Criteria: Qualifying grants were reviewed the UWM Research Foundation based on programmatic and commercial criteria. In keeping with the program’s goal of fostering economic development, invitations for a full proposal were based on the following criteria:
- Intellectual Property – current intellectual property (disclosure or patent application), potential for future patents, freedom to operate, strength of potential intellectual property claims
- Market Assessment – total market size, addressable market, other market dynamics
- Licensing Potential – potential licensees, assessment of license revenue potential
- Corporate Partnerships – potential for corporate partnerships and/or startups, tie-in with regional industrial clusters.
Scientific Evaluation Criteria: Complete proposals underwent scientific evaluation by external reviewers using criteria established for the RGI program. Scientific reviewers were asked to prioritize all reviewed proposals and rank proposals against national standards (top 10%, next 40%, bottom 50%).
- Quality – Excellence and novelty of concept, approach, and methodology; clarity and appropriateness of project plans; desirability and impact of potential results on the national and international scholarly community
- Return – Return on investment (ROI) through extramural funding or commercialization [expectation: 3X requested seed funding from external sources, potential for intellectual property, licensing revenue, corporate partnerships, start up companies and other commercial return measures]
- Risk – Availability of necessary skills and experience, likelihood of achieving the intended outcomes; probability of securing extramural funding or engaging in commercialization; and potential for self-sustainability after the seed investment phase