TDI Program Overview
WSU seeks to provide a comprehensive solution to the cultural, technological and financial challenges associated with the translation of innovative early stage technologies from academia to the marketplace. The TDI program provides the infrastructure to accelerate the feasibility studies necessary for licensing, industry partnerships and start-up opportunities.
The objective of the Incubator program is to provide qualified technologies with the support necessary to undertake prototype development, proof of concept and validation studies. The award of such funding would be based on the market and commercialization opportunities together with a milestone-driven technology development plan with clear no-go decision points. Funding would be directed not only to internal research but also to the outsourcing of activities (e.g. toxicity & pre-clinical studies, prototyping, market assessments, etc.). The goal is to support approximately 4-5 projects per year with an average award of approximately $10,000-$25,000 per project.
Critical to the success of the program is not only the financial support for early validation studies but also access to industry mentors and consultants to provide insights into market opportunities and guidance on technology development and commercialization road maps.
A critical component of the TDI is to leverage the expertise of industry advisors. WSU has recruited consultants with industry, investment and entrepreneurial experience to review and guide in the funding decisions as well as mentor awarded faculty in defining technology development and commercialization milestones.
Participating in the TDI
The TDI targets innovative projects with compelling commercial potential and innovators with a strong interest in moving their technology to the marketplace. Interested faculty are encouraged to submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) outlining key elements of the technology and its commercial potential. From these initial applications 15-20 projects/inventors with the greatest market potential will be invited to submit full proposals for inclusion in the external review and funding process.
Once the final projects are selected, Technology Commercialization staff will work the inventor teams to develop the full proposals that will allow our external reviewers to provide thorough assessments of market potential, development milestones, and commercialization pathways. Based on these assessments and available resources, 4-5 projects will be selected to receive between $10,000-$25,000 of funding to undertake the next steps determined to be essential to moving the project/technology towards commercialization.
LOI submission
To be considered for inclusion in the TDI review and oversight process, submit a Letter of Intent May 25th by 5PM to include a brief description of the technology, current development status, and a statement of technical/market value (see attached template). If the technology has not yet been disclosed to the Technology Commercialization Office, completion of an Invention Disclosure Form will be required prior to submission of a full application. Click here for the WSU Tech Transfer process/policy and accompanying Invention Disclosure Form.
Successful applicants will be notified by June 3rd and invited to submit full proposals by June 30th.
TDI Spring 2016 Key Dates *All information and data submitted to the TDI will remain in strict confidentiality
RPF Release: May 2nd between all parties involved. External consultants are required to execute
Letters of Intent Due: May 25th by 5PM Non-Disclosure Agreements with WSU prior to the exchange of any sensitive
Invitation for Full Proposals: June 3rd Information.
Full Proposal Submission Deadline: June 30th by 5PM
TDI project awards announced: August 12th, 2016
For further information, please contact: Bramdon Dogwill, TDI Program Manager ◊ Phone: 313-577-5622 ◊
INVENTED IN DETROIT
WSU Technology Development Incubator
Letter of Intent
Project Title:
Principal Investigator
Name:
Position/Title:
Department:
Contact Information
Email:
Telephone :
Technology Summary :
(Briefly describe the key features of the technology and the product(s)/service(s) that will be derived
from the technology. Describe the unique feature of the technology and the current state of
development – e.g. concept, working model, prototype, preclinical etc.)
Summary:Please explicitly state the current state of development- e.g. concept, working model, prototype, preclinical , etc.:
Market Opportunity :
(Provide a brief statement of the market need (and clinical need, as appropriate). How does your technology
provide a solution to this need? What are the competing technologies? What is the competitive advantage of the technology over existing methods/technologies?
List any prior or pending publications?
Has this technology been disclosed to the Technology Commercialization Office? Y / N