Valorisation Grant for Albert Polman
Technology Foundation STW has awarded 24 Valorisation Grants to entrepreneurial researchers. Nineteen of them will receive a so-called Phase 1 grant and five a Phase 2 grant. One of the Phase 1 Grants is being financed by the FOM Foundation, STW’s partner in its Valorisation Grant programme. This grant worth 25.000 euros has been awarded to Prof. Albert Polman. The total amount of funding awarded was 1.475.000 euros.
The Phase 1 grant is a feasibility study. In this the researcher investigates the technological and commercial feasibility of the proposal. A maximum of 25,000 euros can be requested for this phase, which has a maximum duration of 6 months. Albert Polman will use the grant to explore the commercial possibilities for a new research instrument, the Angle-Resolved Cathodoluminescence Imaging Spectroscopy (ARCIS) system. Besides developing additional hardware and software, he will use the grant for a market research study.
Phase 2 is the valorisation phase. In this phase, the first steps of the valorisation process are taken, such as the development of a product portfolio, the acquisition of a launching customer, and holding negotiations with private financiers. The aim of this phase is to reach a point at which private financiers will assume responsibility for funding the further commercial development. A maximum of 200.000 euros can be applied for in Phase 2 to cover a period of no more than 2 years. A condition for receiving Phase 2 funding is the successful completion of Phase 1, the feasibility study.
A list of all Valorisation Grants can be found on the STW website.
About the Valorisation Grants
STW set up the Valorisation Grant in 2004 according to the model of the American Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programme. In practice it is difficult for researchers to find funding for the further development of an idea that has emerged from scientific research. They have demonstrated that the idea can work (proof-of-principle) but there is not yet a prototype. Standard research funding often provides insufficient opportunities for the development and additional research that is such a vital part of this phase. The Valorisation Grant is intended to bridge this financial gap.
Contact
STW: Wouter Segeth +31 (0)30 600 12 74.
FOM: Hendrik van Vuren +31 (0)30 600 12 25.