Eligibility

  • The project’s principal investigator (tech lead) must be legally employed at least 20 hours a week by the company seeking funding. The PI doesn’t need any advanced degrees.
  • The principal investigator needs to commit to at least one month (173 hours) of work on a funded project per six months of project duration.

Technology topic areas

Artificial Intelligence (AI)

Subtopics

  • AI8. Other Novel Technologies
  • AI1. Cognitive Science-based Technologies

Biomedical Technologies (BM)

Subtopics

BM1. Diagnostics DH2. Health and Biomedical informatics DH6. Physical, Mental and Behavioral Health

Pitch Instruction

  1. The Technology Innovation. (Up to 500 words) Describe the technical innovation that would be the focus of a Phase I project, including a brief discussion of the origins of the innovation as well as explanation as to why it meets the program’s mandate to focus on supporting research and development (R&D) of unproven, high-impact innovations.

  2. The Technical Objectives and Challenges. (Up to 500 words) Describe the R&D or technical work to be done in a Phase I project, including a discussion of how and why the proposed work will help prove that the product or service is technically feasible and/or will significantly reduce technical risk. Discuss how, ultimately, this work could contribute to making the new product, service, or process commercially viable and impactful. This section should also convey that the proposed work meets the definition of R&D, rather than straightforward engineering or incremental product development tasks.

  3. The Market Opportunity. (Up to 250 words) Describe the customer profile and pain point(s) that will be the near-term commercial focus related to this technical project.

  4. The Company and Team. (Up to 250 words) Describe the background and current status of the applicant small business, including key team members who will lead the technical and/or commercial efforts discussed in this Project Pitch.

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