Obtaining Assistance with your Application
The NTXRCIC staff schedules Pre-Proposal Counseling Sessions with individual potential applicants on a regular basis up until one week before application deadline. Included in these sessions is information on the ETF, NTXRCIC and how to apply for a Commercialization Award through the NTXRCIC. If you are interested in a counseling session, click here to request it be scheduled or call Jeremy Vickers at 972-883-5317.
Submit the application
Applications for the current period must be received by 5:00PM, February 12th, 2007
Electronically submit your Proposal to commercialization@ntxrcic.org as email attachment(s). If not in electronic form, scan all documents into “pdf” form, since non-electronic submittals will not be accepted. Each document and filename must contain the proposing company name. Clearly indicate on the first page of each document if it contains your Confidential or Proprietary information, and clearly mark the specific information that is Confidential or Proprietary within the document.
To be accepted for evaluation the Application Materials must include all of the following:
- Fully completed ETF Commercial Application form with signature on page 4.
- Fully completed Two page summary form
- Required “attached business plan” in your chosen format ***
- Documented collaboration with a Texas Institution of Higher Education
- Additional attachments as you see fit (e.g. Technical Summary, PPT, CV's, etc.)
- A $250 application fee.
***Additional, optional attachments may be included.
Commercialization Application Process
1. Initial Contact- Created when a potential applicant company contact the NTXRCIC and some member of RCIC staff responds by e-mail, phone, or in person.
2. Applicant Questionnaire/2-pager- The first step in communication is for the potential applicant to fill out the Client Company Questionnaire found on the ntxrcic.org website after having read and understood the basic information about the ETF and commercialization awards given on the website.
3. Initial Orientation- This step is usually a half- to one-hour meeting or phone conversation in which the potential applicant is informed of the application process, expectations, and additional ETF related information via slides and other handouts. In addition the participating NTXRCIC staff learns more about the company and its technology and business intentions.
4. Pre Proposal Counseling Session(s)- Post orientation, this meeting is structured so that the potential applicant may have direct coaching on how to approach the business plan, application, two-page abstract, and higher education collaboration pieces of the ETF application process, as well as any follow-up feedback on the aforementioned documentation prior to actual application submission.
5. Application Deadline/Submission- An applicant must submit the following: Subchapter D Commercialization Application, Business Plan, 2-page Abstract, a $250 filing fee, supporting documentation (including, but not limited to Higher Education Collaboration Details, Resumes, Financials, etc.) by 5:00 p.m. CST. Example copies of these documents are located on our website under the ‘Documents’ tab.
6. Triage & Conflict of Interest- An initial, surface level review of the three firm requirements (IHE Collaboration; economic benefit and jobs in Texas; Scientific or Medical Breakthrough) is made upon complete submission to “triage” out those applications that are fundamentally flawed. Unsuccessful applicants receive subsequent ‘feedback’ and encouragement to plan for another, fully qualified submittal in a subsequent quarterly “round” of applications.
After triage, an e-mail list of scheduled volunteer evaluators (with their employment affiliations) is sent to the applicants for their Conflict check; and each applicant may elect to ask that specific evaluators not be utilized for their application. After receipt of the conflicts inputs from applicants a ‘conflict inquiry’ e-mail is also sent to the evaluators asking that they recuse themselves from any potential conflicts. If recused by either means, an individual evaluator does not see or submit evaluation information on that company’s application.
7. Quick Pitches- A few days after submission and COI, each applicant will be asked to present a 10 minute oral presentation to a cadre of evaluators. This is an opportunity for the applicant to present their business and team briefly before the evaluators delve into the written material.
8. Initial ‘Pass/Fail’ Conference - Ten to fourteen days after the Quick Pitches, the RCIC staff and the regional evaluators collaborate on a conference call to discuss the applications. A vote of “Pass” (continue evaluation) or “Fail” for each is given with comments on rationale for the vote. This is an opportunity to cut applications that, while meeting the minimum requirements, do not yet appear to have enough potential to be a successful candidate within the ETF process (as deemed by our evaluators). Again, feedback is given to the applicants that fail at this stage; while and structured ‘Score Cards’ are issued to the evaluators to begin an in depth evaluation of the “Passed” companies.
9. Score Cards Due- The ‘score card’ results of the detailed evaluations are due another 10 to 12 days after the Pass/Fail Conference. Scores are combined and averaged to begin a ranking process of applicants; and any helpful comments provided from the Score Cards are summarized and shared with the applicants to help with preparations for the subsequent “Regional Orals” event. Applicants are also given information and coaching on the upcoming Oral’s, including required slides and other instructions; and a Dry Run is scheduled for the upcoming week in order to work one-on-one with each applicant.
10. Regional Oral’s Presentation- For two weeks after the Score Cards are submitted, dry runs and coaching continue in preparation for the official Oral’s Presentation. The orals are structured 25 minute presentations to an audience composed of NTXRCIC staff, evaluators and, occasionally, interested NTXRCIC Board members. The oral presentation is followed by 30 minutes of Q&A from the audience, then the audience caucuses to develop some brief, immediate feedback. At the completion of the day’s agenda, the evaluators discuss each applicant and then rank them according the overall impression made by their written plus oral presentations up to this point. The evaluators may at this point elect to fail one or more applications, although not required to do so.
11. NTXRCIC Board Meeting- Within a week, the NTXRCIC staff meets with our governing Board of Directors to present those applications recommended by the evaluation process to be forwarded to the State level. The NTXRCIC Executive Director summarizes each applicant and discusses the rationale for recommending each application. The Board must approve all recommendations for official submittal into the ETF “State” process.
12. Final Documents to State - After Board approval, the staff works with applicants to update documents and strengthen their Oral’s presentation. After all documents are updated and as strong as possible, an official final copy is submitted to the Governor’s Office of Economic Development for distribution to the ETF Advisory Committee in preparation for the State Orals.
13. State Orals in Austin- Each applicant presents an updated, strengthened, shortened and polished version of the pitch given at the Regional Orals to 3 or 4 members of the State ETF Advisory Committee. This event includes a 20 minutes pitch, followed by up to 30 minutes of Q&A, a caucus period and some immediate feedback as time allows.
14. ETF Advisory Committee - Within a week to ten days, the entire Committee meets in Austin to deliberate on all applications and make final recommendations on state funding. One of the members who heard each applicant’s presentation normally “advocates” it at the meeting; but, on rare occasions, an applicant is asked to come to Austin for a presentation to the entire Committee. All applications recommended for ETF funding at this stage then enter the formal Due Diligence Phase with the Governor’s Office of Economic Development.
15. Due Diligence Phase- A staff member of the Office of Economic Development will contacts each applicant with five spreadsheets that need to be completed and submitted promptly. They address: Intellectual Property Status and Ownership, Project License Status, company’s Capitalization Table, company Capital Sources and Uses, and Project Milestones for inclusion in any resulting ETF Funding contract. The Due Diligence team evaluates and researches these documents, with a conference call after the work is complete. They may require further detail on any of these or additional matters in order to pass your application to the Leadership Approval step.
16. ETF Leadership Consensus – All three of the state leadership must approve each award, which will be evidenced by a letter signed by the Governor, Lt. Governor, and the Speaker of the House. In the consensus process each of the three offices may ask for additional information from the company; but only a small percentage of awards fail to achieve approval at this level.
17. Contract Negotiations and Approval- The applicant and the Governor’s Office of Economic Development work together to finalize contract milestones for the company. These milestones are placed within the standard contract (see RCIC website under Documents Tab) as markers for success.
18. 50% ETF Award Funded- Upon completion of the contract and official signatures from all parties, one half the requested funds will be awarded upfront to the applicant.
19. Milestones Reached- In order for the second half of the money to be awarded, some or all of the milestones written in the contract must be met. This usually takes place within four to six months after the first half of the money is awarded.
20. Second 50% of ETF Award - The remaining half of the ETF award will be granted upon successful completion of a portion or all of the milestones discussed in the contract and/or additional milestones as previously agreed by the applicant and Governor’s Office of Economic Development.