The Spring 2024 UC Merced Climate Action Innovation and Entrepreneurship Proof of Concept Funds competition is now open! The deadline is Monday, April 1, 2024.
This Proof of Concept Request for Proposals (RFP) invites UC Merced faculty and research scientists with PI status to apply for a total of $250 thousand .
Award Types & Funding
A total of $250k in funding is available.
Types of awards: One-time competitively selected awards of up to $50k .
Spring 2024 Competition Timeline
April 1, 2024 – Deadline for applications
May 1, 2024 – Awards announced
June 1, 2024 – Funds available
Duration of award – 9 months
Please see the attached Request for Proposals for full details.
Principal Investigator Eligibility:
UC Merced faculty/research scientists with PI status may apply, but individuals may serve as PI on a maximum of two proposals (there is no limit to the number of proposals for which they may serve as Co-PI or Co-Investigator).
Project Eligibility:
Projects eligible for funding will feature an early-stage technology that meets one or more of the following criteria:
Has advanced beyond the basic research stage but requires early proof-of-concept data to show feasibility for commercial potential.
Has demonstrated successful results in the research environment and is poised for commercialization pending a specific, targeted demonstration, test result, or prototype.
Has reached a critical stage of technology development, whereby specific questions pertaining to commercialization feasibility can be answered within the resource constraints of the program.
Has identified milestones that would overcome a specific hurdle to commercialization, enabling a technology to become more attractive for either licensing to an existing company or enabling the formation of a startup company within 1-2 years of project completion.
This Proof-of-Concept funding is NOT intended to be used for fundamental research, but rather development, translation, and commercialization of UC Merced intellectual property. All proposals must address California climate action priorities and describe one or more actionable outcomes, interventions, products, or tangible benefits. A partial list of resources may be found in Appendix A.
The proposed project must be disclosed using an Invention Disclosure Form found on the UC Merced Office of Technology Innovation & Industry Relations (OTIIR) site prior to submission. Questions about the disclosure procedure may be directed to Assistant Vice Chancellor John Jackson ( jjackson7@ucmerced.edu).
Application Process
If you are interested, please apply online no later than Monday, April 1, 2024, 11:59 pm PST, with the following:
A completed application, uploaded as a single pdf file. The application must include all of the required elements described in the ‘Requirements’ section of the InfoReady portal. A downloadable cover page/abstract is available on the InfoReady portal.
https://ucmerced.infoready4.com/#competitionDetail/1931847
I look forward to receiving your proposals,
Gillian
Gillian Wilson
Vice Chancellor for Research, Innovation and Economic Development
University of California Merced
5200 Lake Road, Merced, CA 95343
