Proposals for 1997 Projects to Develop New Technologies Date: Wed, 4 Sep 1996 12:52:51 -0400 Message-Id: <199609041652.MAA20039@igsrsparc4.er.usgs.GOV> X-Sender: sbonney@opsmail.er.usgs.gov Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" To: "USGS Employees" From: "Sharon A Bonney, Reston, VA" (Sharon Bonney) Subject: Proposals for 1997 Projects to Develop New Technologies X-Mailer: In Reply Refer To: Mail Stop 104 MEMORANDUM To: All Employees, U.S. Geological Survey From: Anton L. Inderbitzen Chief, Technology Transfer Office Subject: Proposals for 1997 Projects to Develop New Technologies In 1996, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) funded seven Projects to Develop New Technologies. These projects are supported by the Technology Transfer Office through royalty funds generated by the FT-30 patent licenses. We plan to continue to support the New Technology projects for as long as we have incoming royalty funds. Payments from the FT-30 patent licenses should continue over the next 2 to 4 years, with the U.S. patent expiring in 1999, and the foreign patents expiring in the year 2000. We hope that our current investment in projects such as the New Technologies and Maturation Grants will yield dividends in the form of additional royalty revenue to replace the present source. This memorandum is a call for 1997 New Technology project proposals. These proposals must be submitted to the Technology Transfer Office by November 4, 1996. The emphasis of the Projects to Develop New Technologies program is to support projects with a high potential for technology transfer and income generation through patents, licenses, and Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs). Therefore, all proposals should target the development of technologies and/or intellectual property with a high probability of transfer to the private sector. The technologies and/or intellectual property developed through the project should reach maturity and be ready for commercial adoption and use within 3 to 4 years. Proposals for projects offering the following qualities will be given the highest priority consideration for funding. These qualities are listed in priority order, with number 1 being highest: 1. Projects having a high potential for success and impact. Projects with high visibility, high positive impact on the USGS, and a high probability of generating royalty income for the bureau. 2. A clearly defined end product. There must be a technology and/or product developed by the project that will be transferrable to the private sector in a manner that may generate royalty income to the USGS (through a patent or license). This end product must be described succinctly in the proposal. 3. Multidivisional projects. Personnel from at least two divisions are involved in the work. Involvement of personnel from more than two divisions is encouraged. Additional information about proposal requirements can be found on the attachment. All proposals must be approved at the division level before they are submitted to the Technology Transfer Office. Division approval certifies that the resources (people, infrastructure, etc.) required by the proposals will be dedicated to the project if it is awarded. Proposals should be submitted through the division's Business Enterprise Council representative. A list of these individuals is attached. The following offers a schedule of events leading to the selection and funding of 1997 USGS Projects to Develop New Technologies. Please be aware that a similar competition, also open to the USGS, will be held departmentwide. The Department of the Interior New Technology proposals will be due on December 2, 1996. A call for these proposals is scheduled for October 1, 1996. Schedule for 1997 USGS Projects to Develop New Technologies Call for 1997 USGS New Technology Projects September 3, 1996 Proposals due November 4, 1996 In-house review panel formed to review proposals November 6, 1996 Reviews completed by panel December 6, 1996 Final recommendations by panel December 11, 1996 Business Enterprise Council acts on recommendations December 18, 1996 Awardees notified January 6, 1997 Projects begin February 1, 1997 We look forward to your proposal submissions. If you have any questions or need additional information, please feel free to contact your Business Enterprise Council Representative. If you need additional help please contact the Technology Transfer Office. Attachment USGS Project to Develop New Technologies About the New Technology Project Program USGS Projects to Develop New Technologies are projects supported by FT-30 royalty funds to develop technologies and/or intellectual property that may have a high probability of transfer to the private sector. The technologies and/or intellectual property targeted by the project should reach maturity and be ready for commercial use and adoption within 3 to 4 years of the project's initiation. Progress and results of the New Technology project activities are tracked by the Technology Transfer Office, which also administers the project funding and selection process. How to Apply To apply for New Technology Project funding, prepare a brief proposal (no more than 10 pages) and send it to the Chief, Technology Transfer Office, through your division's Business Enterprise Council member (see following membership list). The proposal must be approved for submission by the division. Each proposal should contain the following information: 1. Title: Title of the project 2. Principal Investigator: Name, USGS affiliation, address, phone number, fax number, and E-mail or Internet address of principal investigator and all other project participants. 3. Funding Requested: Year one funding requested. 4. About the Product/Technology to be Transferred: A brief description of the technology and/or anticipated end product of the project including background information. The description should tell what the product will be, what it will do, how it will be used, why it is important and what benefits it will offer users. 5. Objective of New Technology Project: A brief description of the project goal and what will be accomplished through the funded project. 6. Anticipated Market: A discussion of the potential utility of the technology or product to the private sector. This discussion should include evidence and justification of the potential value of the technology to the private sector. It should describe the product's use, indicate what segments (or types of companies) of the private sector will use the product, and identify who the end users will be. A detailed explanation of the basis for your assumptions is required. 7. Technology Transfer Plan: A detailed plan for the project describing how the project objective will be accomplished. This includes how the subject technology or product will be developed and made ready for technology transfer. Specific anticipated project deliverables should be described. Specific tasks needed to accomplish the project objective should be listed and the time and funding needed to accomplish each task included. 8. A detailed budget for the project. If the funds are to be used to augment an existing project, describe how the requested funds are to be spent and how they relate to other monies used for the project. For multiyear projects, indicate the first year's budget and provide reasonable estimates for each out-year of funding. Multiyear projects will be required to recompete each year for the next year's funding based upon prior year progress. NOTE that funds can be used for all legitimate expenses including, but not limited to, salaries, travel, fabrication, prototype development, testing, demonstration, and promotional costs. The budget should include all appropriate division assessments but exclude the 5.5% Director's Office assessment. 9. A detailed schedule for the entire project delineating the planned tasks and milestones. Multiyear projects should estimate out-year tasks and milestones and include these in the schedule. The objective is to have a product or technology ready for transfer (for example, as a patented invention or patent license) within 3 to 4 years. 10. A brief resume. A very brief resume highlighting the expertise of all principals involved with the proposed project completes the proposal package. For More Information and Proposal Submittal The divisional Business Enterprise Council Representatives are: Division Representative Phone Fax E-Mail NBS(BRD) Don Minnich 202-482-4838 202-273-0825 don_minnich@nbs.gov GD Oswald Girard 703-648-4428 703-648-6683 ogirard@usgs.gov NMD Dave Nystrom 703-648-4639 703-648-5542 dnystrom@usgs.gov WRD Catherine Hill 703-648-5031 703-648-5295 clhill@usgs.gov OPS Rick MacDonald 703-648-7120 703-648-7069 rmacdonald@usgs.gov Technology Tony Inderbitzen 703-648-4450 703-648-5068 tto@www.usgs.gov Transfer Office