Commercialisation Fund 2010 Relevant Contact Details for assistance: - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Commercialisation Fund 2010

Relevant Contact Details for assistance: Com m ercialisation Fund Manager ( General Queries) Majella Maher Tel: 091 735927 majella.maher@enterprise-ireland.com Life Sciences & Food Ruth McMahon Tel: 01 7272671 ruth.mcmahon@enterprise-ireland.com I nform ation & Com m unication Technology John Fagan Tel: 01 7272784 john.fagan@enterprise-ireland.com I ndustrial Technologies Ann Dooley Tel: 01 7272680 ann.dooley@enterprise-ireland.com

Fund objective: Support the development of technologies for

licensing to a new commercial enterprise or industry in Ireland in 2-5 years.

• Call Open:

July 29th

• Call Close:

NOON September 22nd

• Programme Budget:

€7 million

• Project costs:

€80K-€350K approx.

Who can apply?

• Researchers in 3rd level institutions and non-profit research performing
• rganisations in the Republic of Ireland-colleges in Northern Ireland can

be collaborators but must have their own funding

• Researchers on contract can apply. If you are the project Principal

Investigator, then a permanent member of staff (usually the head of department or research centre) must sign the proposal

• For a researcher on contract- should your proposal be successful, the

institution must agree to extend your contract to cover the project period for which you will be funded

What type of project is Enterprise Ireland looking for?

• Project that will deliver an innovative

technology to meet a market need in a 2-5 year timeframe

• Projects that will deliver a licensable

technology

• Projects that develop a technology

that can be commercialised in Ireland

• Projects that will generate start-up

companies in Ireland

Characteristics of Successful Proposals

• Commercial arguments well made
• Validation of market need
• Good exploitation strategy
• Good IP protection plan
• Advance technology beyond the state-of-

the-art

• Innovative elements are clearly identified
• Commercially and scientifically focussed
• Does not try to solve all the world’s

problems

• Clear validation methodology
• Real-world test scenario(s)
• Concrete quantifiable deliverables
• Value for money research

What type of project will not be funded?

Projects that do not have a clear commercial case:

Technology will not be commercialisable in Ireland Technology will not be license-ready technology in 2-5 years Technology is not innovative with no unique differentiator from competitors No niche or sizeable market opportunity for the technology

Basic or early stage investigations Low risk technical projects

Characteristics of Unsuccessful proposals

• Poorly written and constructed
• No commercial case for the technology
• Naive or non-existent commercial

arguments

• No exploitation strategy
• No concept of IP management
• Straightforward development only – not

technologically innovative

• Aggregate of known technologies with

“glue” added

• Fuzzy deliverables
• Budgetary padding
• Excessive travel budgets etc

Project Structure

Projects will be structured in stages and can have one or more stages:

Small Project typically <€100K(one-stage project) Close to commercialisation and technology can be license ready in 2 years Large project typically >€100K (multi-stage project) Earlier in the commercial pipeline and more technology development required Expected to be commercialisable in a 2-5 year timeframe Each stage will have technical and commercial tasks with quantifiable milestones including critical go/no go technical and commercial milestones and deliverables

• Each stage will have an independent contract
• Continuation of funding dependent on delivery of the technical and commercial outputs

at each stage

Preparing the Application: General Advice

1. Use the Application Form-Commercialisation Fund 2010 Proposal Application Form 2. Read the Guidebook- Commercialisation Fund 2010-Guidelines for Applicants and Evaluators 3. Consult the “Frequently asked questions” section on the Commercialisation Fund website 4. Seek assistance from the EI Commercialisation Specialists and your local TTO or equivalent office in good time 5. Stick to the allowed lengths for each section of the application 6. Do a final check to ensure you have followed the guidelines for submission before you post and email your application

Preparing the Application: Section 1: Applicant Details

• Fill in PrincipaI Investigator and

collaborator details

• If the collaborator is not receiving monies

for the project please indicate this by using “informal” after the name

• Please provide details of previous project

funding that is relevant for the technology development proposed in this project

• Enterprise Ireland assesses proposals

under three technology areas. Please select the ONE area that is relevant for your proposal

• Please indicate if ethical approval is

required for the project and the timeframe to obtaining same

• Name the Enterprise Ireland

Commercialisation Specialist (s) that has provided advice or read your proposal

• List any companies or end-users you have

consulted regarding the technology which is the subject of the proposal

• Indicate any planned sabbaticals
• Indicate a proposed start date for the

project

Preparing the Application: Section 2: Commercial Potential and Technology Development

• Section 2 is critical to the Phase 1 evaluation of your proposal-You need to make a

convincing commercial case for the project or your application will not progress to a technical evaluation

• Read each question (Q 2.1-Q 2.9) on the application form thoroughly
• Read the Guidebook pg 8-10
• Details on the information requested in each question is described
• Additionally, for Q2.6 and Q2.9 websites are listed that might be helpful when preparing

answers

• For Q2.7 you are advised to consult with your technology transfer office to seek their

guidance

• Read “ The Evaluation Process” section of the guidebook and the questions the

evaluators will consider. Have you made a convincing commercial case for the project?

Preparing the Application: Section 3: Principal Investigator and collaborators

• Section 3 describes the experience and capability of the team to perform the

project and their availability to undertake the project Section 3.1: Describe the team members, their skills both technical and commercial and the role they will have in the proposed project-include a 1 page CV for each team member in the body of the application after the signature page Section 3.2: Describe each team members current work commitments and the planned commitment to this project Section 3.3: Describe the teams track record of achievement on previously funded relevant EI projects in terms of the technical outputs achieved and their commercialisation (where applicable this will be considered by the project review panel and EI Industrial Research and Commercialisation Committee)

Note: First time applicants will not be disadvantaged

Preparing the Application: Section 4: Project Management

• Section 4 describes the detailed workplan for the project and the project

costs

• Section 4.1: Project Workplan- a template for describing the workplan is

provided and includes a 1)Project Overview/summary, 2)Project stage plan and you must provide 3)a Gantt chart Each project can be comprised of one or more stages each of which will be funded by an independent contract Each project stage will have a defined objective/aim, tasks and technical and commercial outputs described by quantifiable milestones and deliverables For each project stage it is expected that the technical and commercial tasks will run in parallel

Preparing the Application: Section 4: Project Management

Project Stage Workplan: Use the template provided in the application form and describe: the aim of the project stage the duration of the stage the tasks/activities of the stage the milestones and deliverables for the stage any technical risks for the planned tasks and the proposed contingency plan to deal with them Milestones and Deliverables technical and commercial milestones are required for each stage they must be quantifiable-clearly state what will be achieved/delivered (Application form pg 10, Guidebook pgs11-12 show examples of quantifiable milestones and deliverables, See also the FAQ document, Qn: What are quantifiable milestones and deliverables?). Critical go/no go technical and commercial milestones must be included- For multi-stage projects these must be set to be achieved 3 months before the end date for the project stage as they will be used by EI to assess the performance of the project stage

Preparing the Application: Section 4: Project Management

Sections 4.2/4.3: Project costs Applicant must provide a full and clear justification for all costs: Costs must be detailed for each project stage and for each institution collaborating

• n a project stage

Financial support for Ph.D and Masters is not eligible as a cost Typical breakdown of costs includes Salaries-60% or greater Materials-20-25% Travel – not more than 10% Consultancy-not more than 10% Ineligible costs include but not limited to:

Advertising Recruitment costs, Interview expenses Student fees Redundancy costs Relocation costs Subsistence payments to visiting personnel who are not

• n the payroll of the institute

Protection of Intellectual property rights Cost of courses (unless relates directly to the project) Membership fees (unless relates directly to the project) Subscription costs (unless relates directly to the project) General stationary Company start-up costs Indirect costs such as bench fees & flat rate charges

Preparing the Application: Section 5: Signatures and Verification

The following signatures are required on the application form:

• 1. Principal investigator of the host and collaborating institutions-if the PI is

a contract researcher then a permanent member of staff (head of department, head of research centre) must sign the application

• 2. Vice President of Research or equivalent authorised signatory from the

host and collaborating institutions

• 3. Director of Technology Transfer Office or equivalent in the host and

collaborating institutions

Submitting your application:

• Closing date for receipt of applications is NOON on September 22nd

Make sure you post it on time! By Post:

• Send 1 original with all signatures from the host and collaborating

institutions and 2 copies to Majella Maher, Commercialisation Manager, Enterprise Ireland, Eastpoint Business Park, The Plaza, Dublin 3. By Email to commercialisation.fund@enterprise-ireland.com

• Electronic copy of a the application in a single file and named using the

following nomenclature:

First Letter First name, First Letter surname of PI-CF Summer 2010- Technology Area- First Letter First name, Full surname.doc e.g. MM-CF Summer 2010-LifeSciences-MMaher.doc

Overview of Evaluation and Selection Process

Proposal evaluation will be performed in 2 Phases - Phase 1 and Phase 2: You must be successful in Phase 1 to go to a Phase 2 evaluation

• Phase 1 – Internal Expert Evaluation of all projects- Commercial case is
• critical. The following criteria will be evaluated:

Commercial Opportunity - size and market validation of need Economic Impact - route to exploitation in Ireland Technology Innovation - innovation and team calibre to deliver

• 5-10% of proposals will go to external moderators for review to ensure

consistency of reviews

• You must reach a threshold score for all 3 criteria to progress to a Phase

2 evaluation

Overview of Evaluation and Selection Process (cont) Phase 2 Evaluation:

• Evaluation of the technical work-plan, costing and project team and

resources

• Large projects (typically >100K) will be reviewed using appropriate

external experts

• Panels of internal and external experts will review and rank proposals
• Proposals will be presented to the Enterprise Ireland Industrial

Research and Commercialisation Committee for decision (IRCC)

• Feedback will be provided to all applicants on their proposal after the

IRCC meeting

Com m ercialisation Fund 2 0 1 0 Evaluation Process

Application Received Eligibility Check Project review I nternal and external Experts Phase 1 : Evaluation- I nternal panel Com m ercial case Quality and I nnovation of technology Unsuccessful Projects Applications for Phase 2 Evaluation I ndustrial Research and Com m ercialisation Com m ittee ( I RCC) External Quality Control Panel Meetings Rank Proposals Large Projects I nvite PI Feedback to Applicants

Do a final check to ensure you have followed the guidelines for submission before you post and email your application Good Luck!