Eligibility and Key Research Focus Areas
PI Eligibility:
- Synergy awards are open to UT Health San Antonio principal investigators or clinicians. Synergy does not allow co-PI status to other institutions currently.
Project Eligibility:
- Synergy Awards support the development of therapeutics, medical devices, diagnostics, and digital health solutions. Importantly, all awards must address an unmet medical need.
As Synergy is meant to spark innovation or academic entrepreneurship with new impactful healthcare products (eventually), all proposals will be healthcare focused/patient focused. Also, it is understood that the award from Synergy may only offset does not supplant costs for innovation. Potential major focus areas include but are not limited to:
- Diagnostics, Devices, and Digital Health/Software.
- Solutions that target any clinical specialty or area of healthcare.
- Cell-based or Gene therapeutics, in vivo editing, biologics, nucleic acid therapeutics, novel small molecules, etc.
- Prototype development
Intra-departmental or School collaboration is highly encouraged especially projects that cross research disciplines to uncover novel solutions to public health.
Out of focus for Synergy would be projects which require background IP from another institution, inter-institutional collaborations, basic research not targeted towards an applied concern, or projects that lack a clinical need (patient, diagnostic, etc.).
Evaluation Criteria
The Synergy Advisory Committee (SAC) will consider the following criteria before making an award recommendation:
Innovation/Invention/Idea Disclosure
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- All Letters of Intent/Applications must submit an Innovation Disclosure Form (IDF) if there is not an IDF on file.
- IDF stage, i.e., whether there is actionable patent filing information, is not important; rather, the idea is important. OTC uses this information to track projects more closely with the investigator (s) in anticipation of intellectual property and/or partnering.
- Please click here to submit your innovation to OTC.
Intellectual Property
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- All healthcare solutions must be an innovation, an invention or idea and must have the potential to generate UT Health San Antonio intellectual property or alternatively, has sole UT Health San Antonio intellectual property at the time of application.
Collaborations
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- Applications are strongly encouraged from groups that propose healthcare solutions that originate from intra-departmental and cross discipline interactions.
- NOTE: Collaboration with other institutions that requires or utilize intellectual property rights is not allowed under Synergy.
Third-Party Providers
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- The use of third-party providers, or Contract Research Organizations, is highly encouraged if the third-party provider does not require intellectual property rights.
Stage of Development
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- Applications are encouraged from teams that are proposing novel healthcare solutions for an unmet medical need. Synergy is meant to be idea/innovation fulfilling resulting in actionable intellectual property that would not have occurred without the collaboration and funding. As Synergy will fund based on milestones achieved, ideas from groups that possess require proof-of-concept or earlier is acceptable. It is understood that failure to achieve a milestone will result in the termination of the award.
- We encourage potential applicants to reach out to UT Health San Antonio Office of Technology Commercialization for clarification if necessary.
Application Process
Synergy award application process comprises 4 stages resulting in award selection. The approximate timeline to award is 6 months. Synergy is intended to fund to awardees by July 2023.
Stage 1: Letter of Intent
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- A Letter of Intent (LOI) is required to advance to the Full Application stage.
- The QR Code will be available for the LOI on February 17, 2023.
- UPDATED: The NEW LOI submission deadline is April 1, 2023.
- Click Here for Letter of Intent, or use the QR Code above.
Stage 2: Full Application
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- All applicants will be required to submit a Full Application. Only applicants that have submitted a LOI will receive Full Application instructions.
- During the preparation of the full proposal applicants are encouraged to communicate with the OTC business development team during this period for any guidance required.
- When an LOI is submitted, an email will be sent with instructions to complete the Full Application.
- The Full Application submission deadline is April 18, 2023.
Stage 3: Application Review
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- The application review process will begin April 19, 2023.
- Full applications will be reviewed by the Synergy Advisory Committee (SAC). The SAC is composed of life science industry professionals as well as internal members of OTC, the Vice President of Research and select UT Health San Antonio life science professionals (not encumbered by application).
- Applications that do not proceed to Stage 4 will received feedback on the project.
Stage 4: Application Presentation to SAC
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- Applications selected for presentation will be notified. Presentations are 10-minutes (if required) and 10-minute question/answer.
- These presentations will occur May 2023. More information to follow.
Stage 5: Award Selection
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- Successful applications will be notified within two weeks of the final pitch. OTC will work with awardees to ensure documentation is submitted for award. Awards are intended to fund in the summer of the current fiscal year.
