Challenge-drivenInnovation Fund(CIF)
OVERVIEW
Submission deadline for full project proposal: March 19, 2023
Ignite Challenge-driven Innovation Fund aims to build on new, cutting-edge directions in information and communication technology to disrupt a field and a market or create new opportunities by realizing innovative technological solutions grounded in high-risk/high-gain research and development. With each specific challenge, the Ignite will establish a portfolio of projects that explore different perspectives, competing approaches or complementary aspects of the challenge. The complexity and high-risk nature of this research will require multidisciplinary collaborations.
With projects funded under the Challenge-driven Innovation Fund, the Ignite aims to build a portfolio of coherent projects with a medium to long-term business goal and a technology-based strategic plan. For this purpose they may include applied research, technology development and/or method/tool and integration, testing and validation on a small-scale prototype in a laboratory or simulated environment. Project outcomes must also include top-level scientific publications as well as an adequate formal protection of the generated intellectual property (IP). The activities have their center of gravity at Technology Readiness Level 3 to 4.
PRIORITY THEMES
DUE DATES
- Project Outlines must be submitted to Ignite by, August 7, 2022
- Invited Full Proposals must be submitted to CIF by TBC
Presentation before an Expert Panel
An Expert Panel will be convened to recommend which short-listed Full Proposals are selected for CIF Funding. The focus of the Expert Panel is on assessing in person the capacity of the research team and the host institution to deliver on what is described in the written proposal.
This will be accomplished through a presentation by the Principal Investigator and the institution that submitted the short-listed proposal. The presentation team should include: institutional leadership, the Principal investigator and key members of the consortia; and sectoral partners. The Expert Panel will assess each proposal according to a scoring rubric, and should offer additional written comments on the proposal.
Following the completion of presentations by all of the short-listed teams, the Expert Panel will formulate recommendations for on the proposals that should be selected for CIF support.
Final Selection
The final selection of the grants will be made by Ignite Project Management & Appraisal Committee (PMAC)/ Board. In the final selection, the Ignite or PMAC/Board may deviate from the recommendations as a result of Desk review stage or Expert Panel Review as the case may be, without, however, changing any evaluation marks of the individual proposals.
It may do so based upon an objective and clearly stated rationale to ensure a reasonable geographical, priority and principal investigator representation in the final selection. In its selection, the Project Management & Appraisal Committee (PMAC)/ Board must ensure that the portfolio of grantees address the major priority areas described in the Call for Proposals.
