This is what ATP can do for you:

• We can offer early financial support to help you create sustainable technical advantage.  The ATP provides cost-share funding in the critical early stages of R&D, when research risks are too high for other sources of funding. It’s very patient capital—interested in the long run, not the next quarter’s earnings report. The financial support is large. ATP commits approximately $1M /year/project, cost shared by an equal or greater amount by the award recipient. U.S. firms direct the research goals.
• We can offer you, as industry participants, title to intellectual property. The ATP allows for-profit, U.S. companies to control and retain the intellectual property rights to the results of their research. However, the federal government reserves a non-exclusive, non-transferable, irrevocable, paid-up license to practice or have practiced for or on behalf of the U.S. any patentable invention arising from an ATP award.
• Our selection criteria are written to encourage the integration of business with technical planning. Projects that are proposed to us should be commercially driven innovative approaches to developing new technologies. ATP can provide you with resources on how to write a business plan. In addition, we hold workshops to help award recipients obtain downstream private sector funds to perform further technology development and product development after their ATP project is completed.
• We can offer you recognition within industrial and financial sectors. ATP’s rigorous peer-review system provides an independent, objective, and confidential evaluation of the strength of your R&D and business plans. Many firms have reported that winning an ATP award was an important factor in securing additional funding. Some refer to this as the “halo” effect.
• At this point in time, you may find yourself strategizing about how to pull together your R&D team and whether or not you want to submit a proposal as a single applicant or a joint venture. We can help you explore these questions and find partners through our website. ATP has developed an online site, the Alliance Network, that you can use as a resource during these deliberations. This site also includes a bulletin board where you can look for partners -- anonymously, if you’d like.
• Finally, we are a Program that is flexible and fair, but also firm. Once your project begins, we will monitor your progress, but will also stand by you should you meet with difficulties such as personnel changes or glitches in your research plan. We know and understand that change happens.   You must, however, commit to being faithful to your proposed project and our selection criteria.

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Date created: July 18, 2003
Last updated: April 28, 2005