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Commercial Opportunites | |||||||||
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Information for MRC Scientists | |||||||||
| Working with MRCT |
DEVELOPMENT GAP FUND Does your invention has potential but not deemed commercially ready or is at too early a stage for a company to develop? The Development Gap Fund (DGF) is ‘pre-seed’ money, operating at the earliest possible stage of technology transfer. It is intended to strengthen new patent filings or to support the application of patents from good, commercially interesting, ideas. Funds from the scheme will be awarded to projects that are governed by commercial rather than scientific potential, which would not usually be funded by the MRC or other academic grants. The projects will also be actively managed by MRC Technology to meet technical and commercial objectives. MRC scientists seeking funding should apply through their Business Manager (to apply see below). On 5th June, 2008 MRC approved a further £6 million of funding for a continuation of the DGF. The fund, first launched in November 2003 with a budget of £4.5 million, has so far funded 51 applied research projects covering a spectrum of biomedical research including cancer, infectious diseases, genomics and drug discovery. DGF has already demonstrated a positive impact on the commercialisation of MRC discoveries and has engendered change towards translational research. Notable outputs of the fund include the formation of new companies to work on disease targets where there remains high medical need, medical devices to diagnose cancer and the creation of specialised jobs. Investment totalling £5.7 million has been generated including funding from Pfizer, the world’s largest private biomedical research organisation. HOW TO APPLY
Applications are invited where MRCT has identified a clear need for value added applied studies, in order to realise more fully the commercial potential of a discovery. It is emphasised that programmes funded under the DGF scheme will have clear commercial goals and therefore will not fall under the remit of the MRC Unit-funded programmes. Assessment Assessment is against a number of criteria which will take into account prior art, potential market, market accessibility and likely success in adding value to the commercialisation strategy. Projects will have defined targets including technical and/or commercial milestones. Project applications are reviewed by the DGF panel, which consists of the Development Gap (DG) Manager, CEO of MRCT as well as the directors and deputy directors of the divisions of MRCT. The DGF panel meets approximately monthly. Who to contact Application to the DGF is via the BM or other MRC contact who liaise with your unit/institute/project. General information can be obtained from the DG Manager. How to apply There is an optional two stage application process. Stage 1 is a primer and stage 2 is a full application. Stage one can be by-passed if appropriate and a full application directly submitted to DGF. Primer A DGF primer consists of an informal discussion of the opportunity between the BM and the DGF panel. Requested applications should address any areas/issues highlighted by the panel. Full application A two section application form must be completed. Section 1 and 2 are completed by the principle investigator (PI) and BM respectively. Completed applications are submitted by the TTM to the DG manager. Downloads Project Application Form Guidance Notes Terms and Conditions Terms and Conditions for IGMM STARTING YOUR PROJECT What happens when a project is approved? Once a project has been approved, the DG manager will issue an award letter to the PI detailing the terms and conditions of the funding. This letter is signed by the PI and returned to the DGF manager. On the receipt of the signed award letter the project is activated. The Unit/Institute will liaise directly with head office finance to structure payment from the DGF. Managing DGF projects A project management group (PMG) will be formed for each project. The PMG should at least consist of the DG Manager, the BM and the PI(s). The PMG will monitor the project on a regular basis. Reporting Projects will be monitored through regular project reports and meetings. These meetings will be organised and chaired by MRCT. Using the project update form an update should be prepared and circulated to the PMG by the PI in advance of each PMG meeting. Downloads COMPLETING YOUR PROJECT The closure phase of a project is often neglected but important lessons can be learned from both projects which have and have not achieved their objectives. It is important that a project is satisfactorily concluded. What to do when a project is near completion? What type of report is required? In accordance with MRC Terms and Conditions of the award, a final scientific report, completed by the PI, should be submitted to MRCT within 1 month of the project termination date. The final payment will not be paid if the report is overdue. The project form will summarise the results of a project and any activities required for the transition of the project to the next stage of the development process. It identifies the extent to which the project objectives were satisfied, the anticipated benefits realised, the person who will oversee the next stage of the project (if any), and the lessons learned during the project. The end of the project is also a good time to consolidate all project issues in one common log and a list of appropriate project files should therefore be included. Important aspects such as IP issues should also be efficiently concluded and documented. PROJECTS FUNDED TO DATE |
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| Patenting and IP | ||||||||||
| Industry Collaboration | ||||||||||
| Potential for your Antibodies | ||||||||||
| MRC Showcases | ||||||||||
 Development Gap Fund |
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| Case Study | ||||||||||
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Further Information | |||||||||
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