NSF Releases $8 M Partnerships for Innovation RFP

The National Science Foundation (NSF) has released the first request for proposals under the new Partnerships for Innovation Program (PFI). The program intends to support 15-25 collaborative efforts, totaling $8 million, that emphasize "productive links among relevant parties to enable innovation." Anticipated participants may include colleges and universities, not-for-profit institutions, state and local governments, trade and professional associations, venture capitalists, entrepreneurs, federal laboratories, and other relevant organizations and businesses.

The PFI program strives to forge connections between new knowledge created in the discovery process to learning and innovation. "Partnerships for Innovation might include the planning and/or implementation of new models for innovation that connect discovery to use through knowledge transfer; education and training activities that explicitly address the workforce needs of the innovation enterprise; and, the development and deployment of new tools or mechanisms that support the innovation infrastructure. They may focus on creating a critical level of innovation activity in a technology area, in an industry sector, or in a geographical region.

"In all Partnerships, NSF seeks to optimize the participation of the private sector both to ensure appropriate workforce development activities, as well as to foster innovation-driven growth per se. Since innovation occurs first as a localized phenomenon, partnerships involving regional, state or local governments are strongly encouraged. At a minimum, proposed Partnerships must include academic institution(s) and private sector organizations and/or academic institution(s) and state/local government entities."

The lead organization must be a degree-granting institution of higher learning. The Principal Investigator for each Partnership proposal must be a senior institutional administrator (Dean or higher) in the lead organization.

Examples of the types of projects NSF will fund through the PFI program include:

• capitalize upon the shared interests of regional academic institutions, local and state governments and the private sector to contribute to the innovation enterprise; 
• create new models that integrate research and education capacity to create a critical level of technological innovation in a state or a region; 
• enable small- and medium-sized businesses to utilize the resources and capabilities of academic institutions; 
• promote and enable innovation by increasing the scientific and technological capabilities of the workforce; 
• strengthen the capabilities of all academic institutions to contribute to the innovation process; 
• and enable technological innovation through the synergistic development, integration and transfer of new knowledge.

The PFI program will support the planning and early implementation of new activities designed to support and sustain innovation in the long-term activities undertaken by promising partnerships among academe, government and the private sector. NSF hopes, by supporting a diverse set of PFI awards, to identify the best practices for enabling innovation that in the future might be replicated on a national scale.

A minimum ten percent cost share, cash or in-kind, is required. NSF anticipates making 15-25 awards ranging from $300,000 to $600,000. Projects are to last two to three years. Notice of Intent to submit a proposal is due to NSF by June 1, 2000. Full proposals are due on July 6.

For more information, contact John C. Hurt, Program Director, telephone: (703) 306-1625 extension 6811, email: jhurt@nsf.gov. He will refer topic-specific matters to the appropriate member of the NSF-wide working group for the program. The RFP (NSF 00-82) can be downloaded from the NSF web site: http://www.nsf.gov