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Funding for Commercialization

Prior to executing a license or forming a company, most faculty need to complete market and
technology validation – customer research, prototyping, external testing or scaled-up production to
show their technology has a high probability of success. The following grants offer funding
specifically aimed at these activities.

Download this quick summary or review the text below:

  °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ's NSF I-Corps Site

​​Award amount: $2,500

Project period: 6 months

Frequency: 3 cohorts per year

Goal: help teams understand NSF's I-Corps methodology and provide NSF lineage for other grants

Requirements: must have at least one faculty members and one student on your team and participate in 7-week training program

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    National Science Foundation’s I-Corps Teams

​​Award amount: $50,000

Project period: 6 months

Frequency: quarterly

Goal: facilitate licenses and the creation of companies that are well-prepared to win NSF SBIR/STTR awards

Restrictions: NSF lineage – you must have a prior NSF award or participate in °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s NSF I-Corps Sites program

Requirements: must have an experienced business person to mentor, submit to a series of interviews with a program officer, and participate in 7-week intensive training program

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I-Corps@Ohio

​​Award amount: $15,000

Project period: 6 months

Frequency: semi-annually

Goal: train faculty and graduate students in entrepreneurial principles to increase licenses and startups from Ohio universities

Restrictions: must be from an Ohio public research university

Requirements: must have an experienced business person to mentor, submit to a series of interviews with a program officer, and participate in 7-week intensive training program

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 Ohio Third Frontier’s TVSF Award

​​Award amount: $50,000 with 1:1 cost match required

Project period: 1 year

Frequency: 3 cycles per year

Goal: validate technologies in preparation for license to Ohio-based startup companies

Restrictions: technology not previously licensed and only 6 submissions per university

Requirements: 1:1 cost match required

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