Ignition Award Application

Pre-Proposals

The Pre-Proposal is limited to one page and is intended to provide OTD with a succinct description of your proposed project.  It should define the basic outline of your idea, and establish its relative merit and general objectives. It should include the following:

  • Succinctly describe your proposed project.  Be sure to clearly identify a solution/goal to a targeted problem which will directly impact end-users of the technology.
  • Identify the existing “gold standard” product or procedure that affects your target problem and compare it with your idea, highlighting why yours is novel or an improvement (i.e. reduced cost, time factor, efficiency, etc.) Be sure to comment on its marketability as such, and potential applications.
  • Has a patent or another form of intellectual property documentation been filed? If yes, please explain.
  • List the three most important aims for the success of your project.

E-mail pre-proposals at mpratt@bu.edu with the subject line “Ignition Award Pre-Proposal”.

Full Proposals

Applications should be:

  • Submitted via email to mpratt@bu.edu
  • Submitted in MS Word or PDF format, using 11-point Arial font
  • No longer than 5 pages, (10 pages including all attachments) No larger than 4MB

For assistance and more details of the application process, please view Awards FAQ or contact OTD at (617) 353-4550.

Content Guidelines

Names and contact information for principal investigator(s)

All communications will be sent via email to the primary investigator named on the application.

Project title

The title should give a concise description of your technology and its potential commercial application.

Specific project goals and outcomes

Briefly describe your technology, development goals and expected outcomes.  Describe how reaching these goals will enable you to continue commercializing the technology and what the full scope of your technology might be.

Project plan (2 pages)

State your overall objective.  Describe your project, preliminary studies completed, and how and by whom your project has been funded.  Include a timetable showing milestones and where the project stands in relation to its goals.  Also list how meeting future milestones will support the commercialization objective for this technology. Reference any key literature.  Include existing work or background information from the Web, giving URLs.

Describe the development work you want to undertake with this funding, where it will be done, and how you will use it.  Describe the milestones to be achieved with the award.

Commercial potential

The commercial potential of the technology is a key selection criterion.
Important questions to address in the application include:

  • What are the potential commercial uses for your technology?
  • Has a product been clearly defined as opposed to a technology?
  • What is the percieved industry need?
  • Has a customer/end user been identified?
  • What is the value proposition?
  • What is the market size?
  • What is the competitive landscape?

Technical Merit

The technical feasability of the proposal is also a key selection criterion.
Here, important questions to address in the application include:

  • Does the data support the novelty and utility?
  • Is there a prototype?  Will the Ignition Award get them to this point?
  • Is this a “hot” disipline or area of research?
  • Is this a core/platform/stand along technology?
  • Will the Ignition Award move the technology closer to commercialization?

Team members

List individuals, including collaborators and advisors, who will be working on the project.  Provide name, department, institute affiliation, email addresses, and percent of time expected to be spent on this project.  Please include the following:

  • Principal investigator
  • Co-principal investigators
  • Other faculty collaborators
  • Advisors, consultants, and researchers
  • Graduate students
  • Undergraduate students
  • Technical staff
  • Expected additions

Give a brief description of key participants, including their expertise and their proposed contributions to the project.  Specify who is responsible for major tasks and milestones.  You may provide URLs for background information.

Intellectual property

Have you disclosed the technology to the OTD (see www.bu.edu/otd/transfer for instructions)?  Provide the name of your OTT case manager, if known.  What further patentable or copyrightable intellectual property will result from the award?  Are there dominating patents that need to be licensed?

Budget summary

Category Cost
Salaries & benefits (include a breakdown for personnel)
Fees for graduate students
External advisors, consultants and services
Supplies
Equipment (justification for the purchase of new equipment will be required)
Other, including travel (justification for travel expenses will be required)
TOTAL