EDGE Applications For Funding - Full Proposals

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.

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 focus its investments in the following nine areas:

1. Agriculture
2. Aerospace
3. Biotechnology
4. Energy
5. Information Technology/ Telecommunication
6. Nanotechnology
7. Sensors
8. Weather science
9. Other

Requesting funding from the EDGE Policy Board is a two-step process.  As described in this solicitation, on April 23, 2012, pre-proposals were solicited and due by May 30, 2012.

In July, the Policy Board invited a limited number of these applicants to submit a full proposal, due September 3, 2012.  A list those applicants invited to submit a full proposal for 2011 is located here. The following is the 2011 Full Proposal RFP.

» Request for  Full Proposal 2011 

 » Request for Full Proposal 2011 Appendix A (Word Format)        »Request for Full Proposal 2011 Appendix B (Word Format)

If you are having difficulty retrieving any of these documents please contact rwaldrop@okedge.org

Full Proposals must be submitted electronically to the EDGE Policy Board (EDGE@okedge.org) by 5:00 PM CST, September 3, 2012.  

The Full Proposal should provide an in-depth review of the project and associated costs. Applicants are asked to track their submissions by requesting a delivery receipt or read receipt of the E-mail.  Full proposals submitted by any means other than the method specified in the Request for Full 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 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 an invited full proposal does not obligate the EDGE Policy Board to provide funding.

Proposals will be reviewed initially to determine consistency with the solicitation requirements.  Submissions meeting these standards 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.