NSF Org: |
ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems |
Recipient: |
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Initial Amendment Date: | August 30, 2023 |
Latest Amendment Date: | April 26, 2024 |
Award Number: | 2331351 |
Award Instrument: | Cooperative Agreement |
Program Manager: |
Pradeep Fulay
pfulay@nsf.gov (703)292-2445 ITE Innovation and Technology Ecosystems TIP Dir for Tech, Innovation, & Partnerships |
Start Date: | February 1, 2024 |
End Date: | January 31, 2028 (Estimated) |
Total Intended Award Amount: | $6,000,000.00 |
Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $6,000,000.00 |
Funds Obligated to Date: |
FY 2024 = $500,000.00 |
History of Investigator: |
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Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
101 COMMONWEALTH AVE AMHERST MA US 01003-9252 (413)545-0698 |
Sponsor Congressional District: |
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Primary Place of Performance: |
COMMONWEALTH AVE AMHERST MA US 01003 |
Primary Place of Performance Congressional District: |
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Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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Parent UEI: |
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NSF Program(s): | ART-Accelerating Rsrch Trnsltn |
Primary Program Source: |
01002425DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT |
Program Reference Code(s): | |
Program Element Code(s): |
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Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.084 |
ABSTRACT
The focus of this project is to identify, foster relationships with, and facilitate the development of emerging entrepreneurs to increase the capacity of the University of Massachusetts Amherst to realize the translational impacts of its well-developed basic research enterprise. The expected outcome is to create a sustainable innovation engine to prepare students and faculty to contribute to the innovation economy, shorten timelines between ideation and de-risked enterprises ready for significant seed-round and venture capitalization, and establish enterprises that embrace DEI and develop technologies that address important societal needs. The project will equip diverse groups of scientists and engineers from undergraduates to senior faculty with skills to extend research excellence towards impactful translational outcomes.
To develop such translational skills faculty, postdoctoral, and student researchers will be embedded in a network of ART (Accelerating Research Translation) Ambassadors who will serve as role models, peer mentors and advocates for societally impactful translational research, trained and supported to develop both technical and non-technical or ?soft? translational research skills, and provided with resources, including microgrants and seed grants, to support and accelerate specific translational research milestones. The ART project team will manage an umbrella organization to serve as 1) an enabler of interdisciplinary teamwork across traditional ?silos?, 2) facilitator of new ?teachers? in the form of industry leaders/serial entrepreneurs, 3) a home and resource for translational intellectual development, 4) manage Seed Translational Research Projects (STRPs) to accelerate specific technology development projects and 5) establish a specific DEI sub-team that engages with all other ART working groups. The project team will also collaborate with external partners and other ART sites to develop best practices for an innovation ecosystem across the often-neglected region of Western Massachusetts. This project will unlock the translational impacts of the strong basic research enterprise at UMass Amherst.
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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