Technology Maturation Funding Proposals Evaluation Criteria

A significant obstacle to the successful transfer of laboratory technology to the public sector is the lack of funding for proof-of- concept and validation studies. The strategic objective of the TM fund is to overcome this barrier by providing funding assistance to BNL inventors in the early stages of validating nascent technologies.  With this objective in mind, the selection of proposals for funding will be based on IP assessment, market and business risk assessment and potential for technology transfer.  The following factors comprise the major threshold evaluation criteria which will be taken into consideration as part of the proposal review process:

IP Assessment

• IP position
• IP landscape
• Type and strength of patent claims

Market and Business Risk

• Significance of market need and opportunity
• A relatively clear path to a commercially viable technology.
• Whether, and the extent to which, the technology in question offers a competitive advantage over currently available and competing technologies.
• Probability that TM funding will result in additional funding from industry and/or technology transfer.

Commercialization Analysis

• Quality of the proposed work.
• Technical feasibility and risk of the project and/or technology.
• Probability of achieving project goals within the proposed budget. P
• roposed technical milestones and clarity and focus of the research objectives toward commercialization.

Please be aware, the TM awards will not be made to substitute for, or increase funding for any tasks for which Congress or the DOE has established a specific limitation, or for any specific tasks that are funded by DOE or other users of the Laboratory.  The TM program will not fund:

• Construction line-item projects, in whole or in part;
• Construction design beyond the preliminary phase (e.g., conceptual design, Title I design work, or any similar or more advanced effort may not be supported);
• Capital equipment expenditures.