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The ACTIVATE Proof of Concept (PoC) Grant Fund was created to increase the technology readiness level and validate the potential market of select UCSB-owned inventions. The fund also meaningfully advances these projects toward a commercial outcome.
The fund bridges the gap between the early stages of a project and the launch of a startup company or the licensing of technology. The ACTIVATE grant program provides funding and mentorship for the project team thereby allowing them to move an early-stage project toward commercial viability.
The technology to be developed must be UCSB-owned, and to qualify for funding, a completed invention disclosure form describing the innovation/technology of interest must have been disclosed to and accepted by TIA.
Grant applications can be submitted once per year in September/October, depending on the availability of funding.
Grant funding is used to increase the technology readiness level and validate the potential market of select UCSB-owned inventions and to meaningfully advance these projects toward a commercial outcome, as measured by a license to an existing company or by the formation of a new company.
The ACTIVATE program is administered and managed by UCSB Office of Technology & Industry Alliances (TIA). TIA expects to award 4 grants, each up to a maximum of $50,000 with a maximum grant term of 18 months. One 6-month no-cost extension will be permitted; initial grant term will be 1 year. UCSB strongly recommends that up to 10% of the funds be used by the grantee for customer discovery/market assessment-type activities.
In summary, the ACTIVATE PoC Grant Program will support only those projects that develop technologies to bridge the gap from fundamental basic and applied research to validated, commercial-ready opportunities.
For full details, refer to the ACTIVATE PoC Grant Fund Guide.
Examples of inventions that are ineligible for this funding program include, but are not limited to:
The ACTIVATE program is open to all full-time university faculty, full-time graduate students, and post-docs working with a faculty member on a project. However, a faculty member, or a UCSB employee with PI status, must serve as the Principal Investigator for the grant.
To qualify for funding, a completed invention disclosure form describing the innovation/technology of interest must have been disclosed to and accepted by TIA. Upon receiving confirmation of an assigned University of California case number by TIA, an ACTIVATE PoC application may be submitted.
Applications must include the following in a single document and may not exceed five pages total in length. Applications must be single spaced, have 1-inch margins, and minimum 11 point font.
Applications must be submitted using the Office of Research Internal Funding & Limited Submissions Competitions website.
Applications longer than 5 pages will not be accepted or reviewed.
Applications will be reviewed by an external advisory committee of 8-10 experts including serial entrepreneurs, industry scientists and business leaders, venture capitalists, angel investors, technology transfer/licensing experts, UCSB alumni who have founded companies, current and former California Nanosystems Institute (CNSI) entrepreneurs-in-residence. Some external review committee members will be also invited to serve as mentors for funded teams.
TIA will also ensure compliance with the PoC grant program criteria and eligibility requirements by conducting an internal compliance review of each grant application. Applications that meet all the ACTIVATE grant program criteria will then be passed on to the external advisory review committee members for review and scoring.
Applications will be reviewed in a three-stage process:
External reviewers will be selected for their scientific subject matter expertise, business acumen, community/end-user knowledge, and experience with bringing a technology or product to the market.
The EARC will provide recommendations to TIA regarding which applications they feel should be funded given scoring and budget. Selection and funding decisions will be made by the UCSB Office of Research, leveraging the Strategic Initiatives Group to make a final funding decision, if the PoC external advisory committee is not able to come to a consensus or there is a scoring tie.
Rejected applications may be re-worked and resubmitted in the next grant cycle. There is no appeals process, but applicants can request feedback from TIA. Reviewer names will not be shared to maintain a fair and impartial grant review process.
Proposal Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on a 0 to 5 scale by the EARC members for each of the 6 criteria:
Questions about the ACTIVATE PoC Grant Program can be sent to POCinfo@tia.ucsb.edu.