Advancing Discovery to Market

The purpose of the Texas A&M University Advancing Discovery to Market (ADM) investment (with support from The Texas A&M University System) is to provide researchers, faculty, staff and students with the resources to advance the development or demonstrate the commercial potential of recent discoveries to advance such discoveries to market that will enable a better product-market fit and successful commercialization (or licensing). The program seeks to bridge the proverbial “valley of death” in innovations by de-risking discoveries and innovations to facilitate commercialization of Intellectual Property (IP) from Texas A&M University. It is suggested that proposers familiarize themselves with the NSF’s Innovation Corps (I-Corps^TM) program to refine their commercialization strategy before submitting a proposal to this program. 

Proposal Deadline 

The deadline for 2024 proposals has passed.

Eligibility

The program is open to researchers, faculty, staff and students of Texas A&M University, and its Texas A&M University System partner research state agencies: Texas A&M AgriLife Research, Texas Engineering Experiment Station and Texas A&M Transportation Institute. The ability to translate and enhance the ability of the new discovery for licensing or investment are key components of the evaluation process. Note that IP must be owned by (or assigned to) Texas A&M University System.  

Size of Award

A total of $5 million is available for ADM funding this year.  

There are two award levels based on the maturity of the discovery, using the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) scale as a general guide. Please review the GAO Technology Readiness Assessment Guide for examples of TRL scales for various federal agencies.  

• Type 1 awards (total request of $99,000 or less, for up to 24 months) target immature discoveries where an innovation has been formulated with the understanding that the application may still be speculative. Proposals suitable for Type 1 awards must be at least TRL 2 at the time of proposal submission. Examples include discoveries with the concept/application formulated, technologies in prototype development stages or early preclinical data generation efforts towards further product validation and testing. Type 1 projects should establish the commercial potential of the discovery. Successful Type 1 projects may be eligible to apply for future Type 2 funding for further development of the invention. Expected deliverables for Type 1 awards include patent applications, submission of a competitive SBIR/STTR Phase I award or leveraging of other external funding opportunities to further develop the IP. 
• Type 2 awards (total request of $100,000 to $500,000, for up to 24 months) target discoveries where a concept is established, but refinement is necessary to advance towards the market or a startup. Proposals suitable for Type 2 awards must be TRL 3 or greater. Examples include proof of concept validation, testing/validation of prototypes in relevant environment or advanced preclinical data generation towards clinical development. Type 2 awards should validate a viable commercialization pathway including invention licensing and/or startup development. A Type 2 funded project will not be considered for future funding support (e.g., renewal or extension) by this program. Expected deliverables for Type 2 awards include patent applications, IP commercialization or identification of commercial partners and/or submission of a competitive SBIR/STTR Phase II or Phase III award. Considering the significant amount of funding provided in Type 2 awards, this funding may be considered as an investment in the for-profit commercialization partner or as a development expense.   

An investigator can be the lead Principal Investigator (PI) on only one ADM pre-proposal per year. Submission of multiple pre-proposals by the same investigator as lead PI will result in the disqualification of the pre-proposals. However, a lead PI for one pre-proposal may serve as Co-PI on other proposals. 

Although not required for pre-proposal submission, investigators of Type 1 and Type 2 proposals selected for funding are required to file an invention disclosure with Texas A&M Innovation to receive an award. 

Note that accounts containing financial awards for undergraduate and graduate students will be established in the university’s Division of Finance and Business Services. Accounts containing financial awards for staff and faculty will be established in the appropriate department. 

Requirements

This program adheres to System Policy 17.01 – Intellectual Property Management and Commercialization and its regulations (“System IP Policy”). Individuals should review this system policy and its regulations prior to submission of a proposal. Under Texas A&M University System policy, ADM funds can only be awarded where the Texas A&M University System (“System”) has ownership of the IP. A researcher, faculty member, staff member or student (“Person”) with IP not owned by the System can submit proposals under this program; however, if the submission is successful, that Person will be required to assign that IP to the System before funds are awarded. Once the IP is assigned to the System, that Person will be entitled to share in the royalties that the System receives from the commercialization of that IP. Please see Section 1 – Intellectual Property Offers in Exchange for Royalty Sharing of System Regulation 17.01.05 – Charitable Gifts and Assignment of Ownership Rights. 

The description of the discovery should include the proposed innovation, background IP, any blocking IP, intellectual merit, anticipated commercial applications, the current state of innovation, work to be completed and methodology. Proposed goals must be attainable within 24 months of award. Awardees must commit to protecting the IP, such as filing an invention disclosure as appropriate.  

Awardees must complete a Texas A&M training module related to IP and commercialization. 

External reviewers of the ADM program must sign a non-disclosure agreement to ensure the discovery’s confidentiality. However, it is the responsibility of the person/proposal team to protect all proprietary and confidential information related to their discovery throughout the process. The ADM program assumes no responsibility for unwarranted disclosure of proprietary information. 

Awardees are required to submit a semiannual progress report. Note that ADM funds will be released on a yearly basis. Release of Year 2 funding is contingent upon meeting Year 1 deliverables and milestones. 

Awardees are required to participate in ADM networking and promotional events such as the ADM Innovation Day, which provides an opportunity for ADM awardees to network and showcase their innovations and project outcomes to internal and external audiences. 

Budgeting

Funds may be requested for advancing the conceptual design or prototype for commercialization of the discovery.  

ADM funds may be used for summer salary support for faculty (limited to two months per year for the lead PI and one month per year for Co-PIs), graduate students and other research staff, materials and supplies, and limited travel for justified purposes.  

Funds cannot be used to secure IP, purchase equipment, start a business, or apply towards salaries or other expenses of external individuals (i.e., individuals who are not employees of Texas A&M or Texas A&M System research state agencies).  

If requesting funds to use an external facility (note that ADM funds cannot be used to pay an external individual), the proposal must include a justification for using an external facility and why the work cannot be conducted at a Texas A&M facility. Recognizing that the source of ADM funding is from internal funding, the preference is that no more than 20% of the budget may be used to pay external facilities; however, budgets that exceed 20% external spending may be considered based on other strengths in the proposal. 

Review

ADM Type 1 and Type 2 applications will be evaluated separately using a three-stage process: i) Stage 1 (evaluation of pre-proposals by an Internal Review Committee), ii) Stage 2 (evaluation of invited full proposals by an External Review Committee), and iii) Stage 3 (further evaluation of shortlisted proposals by an External Pitch Panel).  

Stage 1 (Internal Review of Pre-proposals): As a first step, interested applicants are required to submit a two-page pre-proposal (due March 28, 2024). Each pre-proposal must address key evaluation criteria for ADM and will be assessed, using a blind review process, by an Internal Review Committee (IRC, which includes reviewers from Texas A&M Innovation) on a scale of 0-50 points (with 50 being the highest), based on the following elements: 

• Merit and significance of the proposed innovation (10 points): Describe in lay terms the discovery and its significance and intellectual merit. Does the discovery address a significant problem? Does it challenge the current state-of-the-art? Is the discovery unique to other current solutions to address the same problem?  
• Present state of the innovation and technical feasibility (15 points): What is the maturity and TRL of the discovery? What is the feasibility, likelihood of success, and availability of needed facilities and equipment? What is the viability, patentability, and commercialization potential of the discovery?  
• Proposed effort and brief description of methodology (10 points): Describe the work and methods needed to advance the discovery to commercial application. Describe the specific work location for completion. 

• Anticipated commercial application(s) and market viability (15 points): Identify the commercial application of the discovery, including potential markets and the license demand. What is the market potential, value proposition, and commercialization pathway of the product/technology?  
• Based on the IRC’s evaluation, promising pre-proposals will be invited to submit full proposal (due May 24, 2024). 

Stage 2 (External Review of Invited Proposals): Pre-proposals shortlisted for further consideration will be invited to submit a proposal (anticipated submission deadline for invited proposals is May 24, 2024). Invited proposals will be evaluated and ranked by an External Review Committee (ERC) consisting of proof-of-concept reviewers, entrepreneurs, business experts and investors who are not current employees of the Texas A&M System. Each proposal will be assessed by the ERC (on a scale of 0-100 points, with 100 being the highest) based on the following elements: 

• Merit and Significance of the Proposed Innovation (20 points): Does the discovery address a significant problem? Does it challenge the current state-of-the-art? Is the discovery unique to other current solutions to address the same problem? Will the proposed project overcome a barrier to advancing research in this field and broaden the horizon for future research, as well as non-research-oriented markets? 
• Present State of the Innovation and Technical Feasibility (25 points): What is the maturity and TRL of the discovery? What is the feasibility, likelihood of success (risk) and availability of needed facilities and equipment? What is the viability, patentability and commercialization potential of the discovery? What is the stage of development of the discovery? Is there any demonstration of an industrial interest/engagement from a strategic partner, investor and/or prior IP filing demonstrating barriers to entry for others? What is the PI’s/team’s previous success in the generation of IP and commercialization? 
• Proposed Effort, Objectives and Methodology (20 points): Are the proposed goals/milestones attainable within 24 months of award? What method(s) will be used to complete the goals/objectives? What are the potential risks limiting overall success? What are the proposed goals after the award period ends? How can this award enable the long-term plans for commercialization? 
• Anticipated Commercial Application(s) and Market Viability (25 points): What is the market potential, value proposition and commercialization pathway of the product/technology? Is there a clear customer base or market need for the product or service created by the discovery? Does the product/service address an unmet and scalable need? Are there current competitors in the same space? Has a start-up or business structure been established to support the marketing of the discovery? If available, provide information about potential distribution channels, pricing, marketing needs and the like. Does the discovery have a clear product development roadmap and a potential commercialization strategy after completion of this award? What is the proposed strategy for commercialization (i.e., licensing agreement or strategic alliance with a commercial partner versus formation of a startup)? 
  • Additional considerations for Type 2 proposals: What do the proposing teams envision as their exit strategy? If they wish to license the technology, what techno-economic eco-systems do they plan to leverage for licensing? If they wish to access angel investors (or venture capitalists), what type  do they wish to canvass for fund raising?  

• Resource requirements (10 points): What is the state of development of the discovery? What are the investment requirements to advance discovery to a commercial state? Is the requested budget realistic and sufficient to accomplish the proposed milestones? 
• Based on ERC’s evaluation and ranking, promising proposals (i.e., inventions with a strong potential for licensing or startup development) will be shortlisted for Stage 3 (External Pitch Panel).  

Stage 3 (External Pitch Panel): The PI/team of proposals shortlisted for further consideration will be required to present a pitch to an external pitch panel (EPP), consisting of entrepreneurs, business experts and investors who are not current employees of the Texas A&M System. Note that EPP may include ERC reviewers. The following information/items are relevant to proposals shortlisted for the EPP: 

• The PI/team will be required to attend a coaching session prior to the pitch. 
• The pitch should include the goal, commercialization strategy, conceptual design, value proposition, milestones and proposed business model (for Type 2 proposals).  
• The PI/team will be allowed five minutes for their pitch, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A, and may use audio-visual presentation, printed materials and product samples/prototypes. 
• The EPP will summarize the strengths and weaknesses of each proposal and place it in one of three categories: outstanding, high priority and low priority. 
• Funding recommendations will be made by the EPP, taking into consideration the need for a balanced portfolio of projects.  

Timeline 

Release of ADM Request for Proposals: Feb. 28, 2024 

Pre-proposal Deadline: March 28, 2024 

Evaluation of Pre-proposals by Internal Review Committee (Stage 1 Review): April 2024 

Notifications/Invitations to Submit Full Proposal: by April 24, 2024 

Full Proposal Deadline (for invited proposals): May 31, 2024 

Full Proposal Review by External Review Committee (Stage 2 Review): June –July 2024 

Notifications/Invitations to Present to External Pitch Panel: by early August 2024 

External Pitch Panel Meetings: mid-late August 2024  

Final Decision/PI Notifications: late August 2024 

Award Start Date: Oct. 1, 2024 

Submission

ADM pre-proposals must be submitted as PDF files via the InfoReady portal. 

Submission Guidance (Pre-proposals) 

Pre-proposals must not exceed two pages (the font size should be no smaller than 11 points) and should include the following sections: 

Proposal Title: Provide a succinct title for the proposal. Note that pre-proposals will be evaluated using a blind review process. Applicants are discouraged from providing personally identifiable information.

Note: It is the responsibility of applicants to protect all proprietary and confidential information related to their discovery.

Proposal Type (Type 1 or Type 2): Identify the proposal type based on the level of maturity of the discovery: 

Pre-Proposal Narrative: The pre-proposal narrative should include the following elements: 

1. Merit and significance of the proposed innovation: Describe in lay terms the discovery and its significance and intellectual merit. Does the discovery address a significant problem? Does it challenge the current state-of-the-art? Is the discovery unique to other current solutions to address the same problem?  

2. Present state of the innovation and technical feasibility: What is the maturity and technology readiness level (TRL) of the discovery? What is the feasibility, likelihood of success and availability of needed facilities and equipment? What is the viability, patentability and commercialization potential of the discovery?  

3. Proposed effort and brief description of methodology: Describe the work and methods needed to advance the discovery to commercial application. Describe the specific work location for completion. 

4. Anticipated commercial application(s) and market viability: Identify the commercial application of the discovery including potential markets and the license demand. What is the market potential, value proposition and commercialization pathway of the product/technology?  

Budget: Provide a summary of the requested budget including estimated amounts for each budget line items (i.e., personnel, materials and supplies, travel, etc.) and a brief statement on how the funds will be used to achieve the project aims (no need for a budget table or detailed budget justification). 

Note: Type 1 awards are limited to $99,000 or less; Type 2 awards can range from $100,000 to $500,000. 

Frequently Asked Questions