The NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program is an umbrella for two complementary subprograms: Building Innovation Capacity (BIC), which involves an earlier stage that focuses on building innovation capacity, and Accelerating Innovation Research (AIR), which involves a later stage that focuses on the acceleration of innovative research. The former emphasizes the transformation of knowledge to market-accepted innovations created by the research and education enterprise, while the latter emphasizes the translation of research to commercialization by NSF-funded research alliances. A research alliance is defined as a research partnership formed for mutual benefit, and funded by NSF, between/amongst universities and other entities. In the final analysis, both programs, while focusing on different stages are concerned with the movement of academic research into the marketplace.

This program solicitation, Partnerships for Innovation: Building Innovation Capacity (PFI: BIC) starts with an existing sound scientific and/or engineering-based research discovery that can be translated to market-valued solutions through a partnership between academe and small technology-based businesses. The funds will provide support to an academic institution to partner with at least two small technology-based businesses that are not in direct competition with each other to carry out early translational-research activities The primary aims of the activities of this partnership are three-fold: (1) to build the innovation capacity of the individual participants from academe and from business; (2) to increase the viability of the small business concerns; and (3) to develop the next-generation workforce by providing opportunities for students at different levels to effectively learn from, participate in, and be profoundly changed by exposure to the process of building innovation capacity that occurs in BIC projects. The active collaboration between academe and business could result in solutions with potential for an impact on more than one market.

WEBINAR: A webinar will be held within 6 weeks of the release date of this solicitation to answer any questions about the solicitation. Details will be posted on the Industrial Innovation and Partnerships (IIP) website. (www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=iip) as they become available.

Lead academic institutions are limited to participation in only one BIC proposal. There is no organizational limit for AIR proposals. Each PI may submit only one proposal. Letter of intent required September 26, 2012, full proposal December 12, 2012.

For more information: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=504708

Your pre-proposal should contain the following information:

• Summary of the proposal (no more than 2 pages) highlighting the intellectual merits of the proposal
• Tentative list of participants (internal and external collaborators)
• Explain why your proposal would be competitive (1 page) -- explain the strengths and uniqueness of your proposal, given the review criteria.
• Explain how your proposal would address NSF’s Broader Impacts requirement (half page).

Preproposals must be submitted to Dorothy Pimlott (dpimlott@iastate.edu) by close of business, Tuesday, September 4 .