Funding opportunities in KSTC R&D Excellence Program open Nov. 28

The Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation is opening a new Request for Proposals for RDE-015 on Nov. 28. This round of funding is open to Kentucky small businesses and to scientists and engineers from accredited universities, colleges, and other post-secondary institutions in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The maximum award is $50,000 per year. The period of the grant request will not exceed 12 months. Please go to ksef.kstc.com for RDE description, submission instructions and RFP details. Online LOI application opens 11-28-2011. LOI online application deadline is 12-02-2011 (4:00 p.m. ET). For additional information click here.

About the RDE Program

The Research & Development Excellence Program (RDE) is targeted to achieve excellence in science and engineering, and allow innovation and technology development in existing and emerging areas of research, by making proactive investments through a peer-reviewed competitive selection process. Funding priority is given to critical technologies in the following five research areas as established by the Commonwealth of Kentucky: Biosciences, Environmental and Energy Technologies, Human Health and Development, Information Technology and Communications, and Materials Science and Advanced Manufacturing.

The goal is achieved by funding the following types of R&D activity:

• Emerging Ideas - Research activity undertaken as a preliminary work on high-risk, untested, novel ideas to advance basic research to understand the causes, effects or relationships between various components of a topic. Project results are likely to be used in competing for federal funds in early publication of new concepts. This new knowledge will advance the education of students, create intellectual property and allow researchers recognition as pioneers in a potentially new area. This is a high-risk investment in making Kentucky a leader state in coming years. This grant category is open to university and college faculty, but not to small businesses.
• Emerging Technology Development - This category encompasses several stages of research on the way toward developing a product or process that will likely be packaged as a new 'technology'. These states include: research activity to explore the application of a technical or biotechnical solution and early feasibility research of a new technology or process for a targeted purpose. The results of such projects will produce new technologies and set the stage for technology transfer activity. This grant category is open to universities, colleges and small businesses within Kentucky.

The Kentucky Science & Engineering Foundation (KSEF) staff manages the RDE program. KSEF was created to invest in research and development activity to promote innovation and build a pipeline of new ideas and technologies that will add value to the growth in the Commonwealth. Created under the Kentucky Innovation Act of 2000, the mission of KSEF is to build science and engineering capacity and excellence by investing in ideas, technologies, human resource development and technological innovations in Kentucky.

KSEF is an initiative of the Kentucky Science and Technology Corporation (KSTC), and is managed in partnership with the Council on Postsecondary Education (CPE). KSTC is a private nonprofit enterprise founded in 1987 to enhance capacity of people, firms and organizations to develop and apply science and technology and compete responsibly in the global market place.