EDGE Applications For Funding
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Update: May 30, 2012 11:35 AM
Thank you for visiting the Oklahoma Economic Development Generating Excellence (EDGE) Fund website. Due to action of the Oklahoma State Legislature on May 25, 2012, all funding in the EDGE Program will be eliminated on August 23, 2012, and the program will terminate. On April 23, 2012 the EDGE program invited EDGE grant pre-proposals and Innovative Ideas Program proposals with the deadlines on May 30, 2012. Due to the action of the State Legislature, this year’s funding competition for either program will not proceed as planned. We recognize that many applicants have already invested time and energy in the preparation of proposals for 2012 funding. We regret this inconvenience for you, and hope that your work will be useful in other opportunities. The EDGE program apologizes for the uncertainty at this point but we will do our best to keep you informed as we become apprised of new developments. On behalf of Oklahoma’s EDGE Program, thank you for your interest and participation.
Sincerely, EDGE Fund Policy Board
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| EDGE Funding Awards |
The statute creating the EDGE endowment fund (Title 62 O.S. Supp.2007 §47, §52) specifies that the seven-member EDGE Policy Board shall determine the specific investments to be made each year from the earnings of the EDGE endowment. This endowment is separately managed by the EDGE Board of Investors who certifies the amount of funds annually available to the EDGE Policy Board.
Funding awards can be made to “push” technology from researchers to businesses and “pull” research and technology needed by business sectors. Many types of awards are possible, including proof of concept, applied research, matching funds, purchase of equipment, seed capital, or other projects that meet the EDGE mission. Moreover, the Policy Board can employ multiple investment instruments, e.g., grants, contracts, loans, investments, contributions, supplementary funds to existing programs and other applications.
Applicants eligible to receive EDGE funding are:
(a) Private or public Oklahoma institutions of higher education,
(b) Non-profit Oklahoma research foundations or other non-profit organizations, and
(c) For-profit enterprises.
Informational Pages»EDGE Fund Opportunities Pre-proposals |
| Areas of Focus |
The Policy Board annually reviews areas of research and commercialization emphasis, with consideration given to the strategic strengths of Oklahoma’s research infrastructure. For 2012, the Board will focused its investments in the following areas:
- Agriculture
- Aerospace
- Biotechnology
- Energy
- Information Technology/ Telecommunication
- Nanotechnology
- Sensors
- Weather science
- Other
| Requesting Funding |
Requesting funding from the EDGE Policy Board is a two-step process. On April 23, 2012, Pre-Proposals will be solicited, due by May 30, 2012.
In July, the Policy Board will review the Pre-Proposals and then invite a limited number of these applicants to submit a full proposal, which will be due in September.
| Pre- Proposal Submission Process |
Pre-Proposals submitted by any means other than the method specified in the Request for Pre-Proposal will be disregarded. Applicants responding to this solicitation are wholly responsible for timely and properly formatted submissions.
The applicant has sole responsibility for the content and conditions presented in the Pre-Proposal. The EDGE Policy Board will not pay any bid and proposal costs incurred in the submission of the offer, or related to any studies or designs necessary to prepare the offer. Submission of a Pre-Proposal does not obligate the EDGE Policy Board to provide funding.
| Proposal Review Process |
Pre-Proposals will be reviewed initially to determine consistency with the solicitation requirements. Invited full proposal submissions meeting these standards will then undergo rigorous evaluation from three perspectives:
a) Technical Review: Each proposal will be assigned to experts in an appropriate technical field(s) who will evaluate the project’s importance, soundness, feasibility, and probability of success. Because proposals may include a wide‐range of research disciplines and technologies, experts are selected to address major components of the proposed project. The EDGE Fund Policy Board will make every attempt to provide a comparable number of reviewers for each proposal submitted. To achieve this goal applicants are encouraged to provide the EDGE Fund Policy Board office with recommendations for reviewers provided there is no conflict of interest among the reviewer and the applicant or the applicant’s organization(s).
b) Advisory Committee: The Policy Board is assisted by an appointed Advisory Committee whose members bring technical expertise and extensive experience in evaluating and managing technology‐based research and commercialization. The Advisory Committee assists in identifying technical reviewers, evaluating the resulting critical reviews, and recommending to the Policy Board proposals for funding.
c) EDGE Policy Board: The EDGE Policy Board makes all final funding decisions. In making these decisions, the Board evaluates the technical reviews of each project and the recommendations of the Advisory Committee. In addition, the Policy Board considers the strengths, needs, and opportunities of Oklahoma’s technology‐based research capacity, as well as, investments in research and commercialization that will benefit Oklahoma’s private sector.
Finally, the EDGE Policy Board takes a long‐term view of how best to orchestrate multiple technological, human, and financial resources through EDGE funded projects to strengthen Oklahoma’s economy, provide higher paying jobs, and enhance the prosperity of its citizens.
Applicants selected to submit full proposals to the EDGE Policy Board may be called upon for oral presentation of their proposal. Oral presentations are requested solely at the discretion of the Advisory Committee and the EDGE Fund Policy Board. The EDGE Fund Policy Board office will notify applicants requested for oral presentation accordingly.
