Technology Maturation Fund
The objective of the Technology Maturation Fund is to provide small amounts of funding for highly focused projects to move early stage technologies along the road to commercialization. These awards are not for a specific time period but rather to achieve a specific milestone in a defined development path leading to commercialization. |
Instructions (doc)
Proposal Form (doc)
Tech Mat brochure
Tech Mat one-pager |
Who can apply to the Tech Mat Program?
All LANL researchers—technical staff members and post-docs, U.S. citizens and foreign nationals—may apply. Any proposal selected that has foreign national participation must be approved through a SAFE-Division review before the project can begin.
How do I know if my project meets the Tech Mat Fund criteria?
Proposals are evaluated based on potential return on investment through a license or a CRADA. We consider market opportunity, relevance to industry, technology risk, competitive risk, people risk, and availability of nongovernment matching funds. A letter of interest or support from a company is helpful. To qualify for funding, applicants must show that the intellectual property protection process has been initiated.
How can I disclose my invention to initiate the intellectual property protection process?
Submit a disclosure through our Web-based application, IDEAS (Invention Disclosure Electronic Application System). IDEAS is designed to help you create, modify, review, and submit your invention disclosure electronically.
How much money may I request?
Awards are made in the $10–$50K range, as required by the specific milestones to be achieved.
What kinds of milestones are requested?
Short-term, specific, and goal-focused milestones are preferred—ideally guided by feedback from a potential industrial partner. We do not fund general development work. Good milestone examples include the following:
- Constructing a prototype
- Measuring the efficacy/efficiency of a prototype
- Analyzing the products of a key experiment
- Comparing the product with existing products
What happens if I need more funding?
Higher awards may be made in exceptional cases. A single invention may receive multiple awards in the $10–$50K range over time with no defined maximum as long as the review panel is convinced that further funding will be recouped from future licensing income.
What is the process and timeline?
Proposals can be submitted any time. They are reviewed monthly. Proposals received by the third Monday of the month are reviewed by the first Monday of the next month. The panel provides written feedback on each proposal and notifies finalists by mid-month. Finalists are invited to meet with the panel for a briefing.
Who is on the selection panel?
The selection panel consists of members of TT Division’s Technology Management and Development offices. These reviews ensure that each proposal is reviewed and evaluated by staff with expertise in both technology management and technology commercialization.
If you have questions, please contact Technology Maturation Fund administrator, Doruk Aytulu, or phone 7-5315
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