POCsparc GRANT PROGRAM
Proof of Concept: Short Proposal to Accelerate Research Commercialization

The POCsparc Grant Program provides awards of up to $25,000 to faculty of the four STTM-served institutions to advance UT inventions towards successful commercialization. The STTM Proof of Concept grants are intended to support short-term, tightly focused projects to help bridge the gap between promising invention and market-ready innovations.

Effective September 1, 2009, funding for POCsparc grants has been made available through the San Antonio Life Sciences Institute (SALSI), a joint program of UTHSCSA and UTSA formed to promote greater scientific collaboration between the two institutions.

Proposals eligible for a POCsparc award must support:
1) Collaborative projects between faculty from UTHSCSA and UTSA, or
2) Collaborative projects between UTHSCSA or UTSA faculty and UTB or UTPA faculty.

For POCsparc awards, PIs at both institutions must be tenured or on the tenure track.

Proposals received from UTSA faculty may also be considered for POCroadrunner (POCrr) grants, which are funded through a supplement to the Emerging Technology Fund award that established the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security.

POCsparc Announcements

The Process

POCsparc RFPs will be issued spring and fall each year. Applications will be selected for funding by STTM based on the value proposition for the use of the funds, i.e. validating the commercial opportunity and advancing the technology to the marketplace. [ Press Release ]

Invention Disclosure Form [ MS Word .DOC]
POCsparc Application [ MS Word .DOC ]
Application Instructions [ Adobe .PDF ]

Upon completion of the project, the PI will present the results to STTM in writing and in person. STTM encourages faculty to publish the project results and views favorably using the results as a basis for seeking additional funding though TIF, SBIR, STTR, or private capital.

Eligibility

• Proposals must be based on technologies for which an invention disclosure form (IDF) is on file at STTM and for which a Case Manager has been assigned;
• Principal investigators must be UT Brownsville, UTHSCSA, UTPA, or UTSA faculty;
• Proposals must support:
  • Collaborative projects between faculty from UTHSCSA and UTSA, or
  • Collaborative projects between UTHSCSA or UTSA faculty and UTB or UTPA faculty;
• For POCsparc awards, PIs at both institutions must be tenured or on the tenure track;
• Proposals received from UTSA faculty may also be considered for POCroadrunner (POCrr) grants, which are funded through a supplement to the Emerging Technology Fund award that established the UTSA Institute for Cyber Security;
• Grants from STTM will support solely projects of commercial interest.

• Inventions that have the potential to become novel "core" or "platform" technologies for multiple products;
• Inventions for which a likely commercial partner has been identified;
• Inventions with the potential for significant financial return;
• Inventions that command a strong proprietary position;
• Projects likely to benefit significantly from an investment, e.g. create a working prototype or extend in vitro data to animal model studies;
• Projects with specific objectives that can be completed within six (6) months;
• Projects that are likely candidates for follow-on funding, e.g. TIF, SBIR/STRR, or VC/Angel.

RELATED ARTICLES

To view an article click on a link below:

Daniel DeArmond, MD, assistant professor of cardiothoracic surgery at UTHSCSA invented a device intended to detect leaks following a surgical anastomosis. Anastomoses are performed when surgeons need to join of the viable ends of one or more hollow organs.
[ read more .DOC .PDF]

A new approach to perfusing and oxygenating donor organs during transport has been developed at the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, and a newly engineered prototype has been created with the use of POCsparc funds. Researchers Leonid Bunegin and Edward F Gelineau have reengineered this device, which has resulted in a dramatic reduction in both size and weight – lending true portability to organ preservation technology.
[ read more .DOC .PDF ]

For more information about POCsparc and to identify your invention as a candidate for this grant, please speak to one of our STTM Licensing Associates listed in our Contact Us page.

Note: PDF documents require the Adobe READER® plug-in.