KACST TIC Request For Proposal and Program Guidelines Technology Innovat… · Web viewTICs will be funded, coordinated, guided and monitored by KACST TIC Program Management. A

KACST Technology Innovation Centers (TICs)

Request for Proposal&

Program Guidelines30 November 2009

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1.0 Important Dates....................................................................................................................................4

2.0 Introduction to the KACST Technology Innovation Centers (TIC) Program............................................4

2.1 Overview............................................................................................................................................4

3.0 Eligibility................................................................................................................................................5

3.1 Participant Requirements..................................................................................................................5

3.2 Essential Activities.............................................................................................................................5

3.3 Fields of Research..............................................................................................................................6

4.0 Funding..................................................................................................................................................6

4.1 Base Funding Sources........................................................................................................................6

4.2 Industrial Funding Sources.........................................................................................................7

5.0 Duration.................................................................................................................................................8

5.1 Renewal.............................................................................................................................................8

6.0 Intellectual Property Management........................................................................................................9

6.1 Publications.....................................................................................................................................10

7.0 Governance and Management Structure............................................................................................11

7.1 TIC Director......................................................................................................................................11

7.3 KACST TIC Fellow.............................................................................................................................12

8.0 Application and Selection Process.......................................................................................................12

8.1 Application.......................................................................................................................................12

8.2 Selection Criteria.............................................................................................................................14

8.3 Site Visit...........................................................................................................................................15

8.4 Seed Funding...................................................................................................................................16

9.0 Contractual Process.............................................................................................................................16

9.1 Legal Agreements............................................................................................................................16

9.2 Industrial Membership....................................................................................................................16

9.3 Payments.........................................................................................................................................17

10.0 Monitoring and Evaluation................................................................................................................17

10.1 Annual TIC Meeting.......................................................................................................................17

KACST TIC RFP & Guidelines, Copyright KACST 2009 Page 2

10.2 Annual Review...............................................................................................................................17

11.0 Key Contact........................................................................................................................................18

Glossary.....................................................................................................................................................19

Appendix A – Annual and Cumulative Budgets..........................................................................................21


1.0 Important Dates

Request for Proposal (RFP) Release: 31 October 2009

Letter of Intent Due: 30 November 2009

Full Proposal Due: 1 March 2010

Award Announcement: 1 May 2010

Project Start: 1 June 2010

2.0 Introduction to the KACST Technology Innovation Centers (TIC) ProgramKACST was directed by a 1986 Royal Decree to propose a national policy for the development of science and technology, and in July 2002 the Council of Ministers approved the 20 year National Plan for Science and Technology. KACST is responsible for programs that promote education and training, R&D, technology transfer, indigenization and development of technology, spread of technology, and optimizing its use and social benefits.

The goal of the KACST TIC program is to create a series of university-based industry collaborative research centers in carefully selected locations in the Kingdom. The TIC program will be supported and coordinated by KACST to meet four broad objectives:

Address economic and social goals of the Kingdom; Promote university-industry research collaboration and technology transfer in the Kingdom; Strengthen university research and science and engineering education in KSA; and Implement best practices and appropriate features of the structure, incentives, and

requirements of successful programs in countries similar to KSA.

2.1 OverviewFor 2009-2010, KACST anticipates awarding up to a maximum of three TICs . The proposed centers must be broadly aligned with the 11 strategic technologies under the purview of KACST:

1. Aerospace and Aeronautics;2. Advanced Materials;3. Biotechnology;4. Electronics, Communication & Photonics;5. Energy;6. Environment;7. Information Technology;8. Nanotechnology;9. Petrol & Gas;10. Petrochemicals;


11. Water.

The proposed TICs will have the following broad features:

Centers will be based in universities with strong, integrated research and education capabilities.

Center research must be guided by industrially relevant problems; Initial funding will be for five years, with the option for successful centers to compete for an

additional five years of funding; Base funding by KACST will be SR 10M/Year; Additionally, industrial funds of up to SR 5M/Year to engage in project-based research

programs will be matched 1:1 by KACST; Centers must demonstrate institutional commitment in the form of infrastructure support,

in addition to faculty and center administration relief time from teaching and/or administrative commitments; and

KACST TICs will be coordinated, funded, managed and partially staffed by KACST.

3.0 EligibilitySuccessful centers must meet standards of research excellence, human and social capital development, and industry relevance. International experience has shown all three areas to be critical to success. Excellence in research and related activities is the essential element of industry-university collaborative centers. Excellence in industrially-relevant research will build confidence in industry that faculty and students possess the skills to address selected industry problems in creative and effective ways. The combination of research excellence and focus on industry-relevant problems not only builds trust, it also builds the human and social capital so highly valued by companies that have worked successfully with universities. This goes beyond faculty and student research skills and industry orientation; it includes knowledge of the processes of technological innovation, skills in planning and managing applied R&D, identifying and fostering potentially commercializable ideas, and managing intellectual property.

3.1 Participant Requirements

The institution must be a university with emphasis on education and a strong commitment to research involving post graduate and graduate students;

The leader of the proposal (Principal Investigator) must be the head of the TIC Scientific Committee;

The institution may suggest international and industrial collaborators, but the selection will be made by the KACST TIC Program based on a multitude of factors including achievement record, program needs and availability of TIC fellows; and

3.2 Essential ActivitiesThe proposed TIC must focus on the following activities:

Medium to long-term industrially relevant collaborative research; Education and training programs including, but not limited to, a PhD program that

complements the research programs and builds engagement, innovation, and R&D capacity with industrial members;


Efforts to deploy research outputs and encourage adoption by industrial members directly through licensing, or via spin-off companies, potentially through the national incubator program;

Strategic planning to achieve integration of research, education, outreach, and technology transfer and implement it in ways that engage faculty, students, and industry researchers and managers. Strategic planning has been shown to be an essential element in successful centers globally;

Actively recruiting women to work in TICs on industry problems as faculty members, graduate students, post docs, and technical professionals;

Involving undergraduates in the research program is strongly encouraged, as well as an outreach program to middle and high school students.

3.3 Fields of ResearchAll fields of research within the 11 strategic technology initiatives outlined above are eligible as the basis for a TIC. If there is doubt whether a subject area falls under the scope of a potential TIC, proposers are encouraged to contact the TIC management unit at KACST: Dr. Mohammad S Khorsheed, Director, Technology Development Centre (TDC), King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia, Email: [email protected], Office: (966) 1 481 47 47; Fax: (966) 1 481 47 48.

4.0 FundingThere will be two primary sources of funding available at TICs:

1. Base Funding Sources : Provided by KACST and may be complemented by the host university. KACST will provide cash contributions of up to SR 10M/year. The university is not required to, but may provide cash contributions towards base funding. University contributions in the form of facilities, equipment and staff salaries will not be counted towards base funding, rather as a competitive advantage for the proposal.

2. Industrial Funding Sources: Funding provided by industrial members or other organizations for sponsored research. KACST also will provide matching funds for industrial funding according to the criteria detailed in Section 4.2.2 below.

4.1 Base Funding SourcesBase funding is a stable, predictable revenue stream that constitutes the core investment in the TIC. Base funding can be applied at program onset, or as an ongoing revenue stream. There will be two primary sources of base funding available at TICs:

4.1.1 KACST Base FundingEach KACST TIC will be awarded baseline funding of SR 10M/year for a 5-year period, totaling SR 50M, subject to annual review. The funding will be channeled to the center through the special Science and Technology Unit at the university. The amount for each fiscal year will be established as a Line of Credit, against which the prime contracting entity will invoice, no more frequently than once a month. The sub-award institutions will invoice the prime contracting entity periodically. Rollover of unspent funds from


mailto:[email protected]

one fiscal year to the next will be permissible, but change of amounts within each approved sub-category will require TIC program management approval.

4.1.2 University Base FundingTICs can become core research centers within host universities. Therefore it is expected that the host university will want to invest cash in the TIC. The host university has the opportunity to contribute cash to TIC base funding. The host university can invest initially or contribute an ongoing revenue stream. The transfer of funds will be accounted for by the KACST TIC Program. The university allocation will be subject to the criteria detailed in Section 6.0 below.

4.1.3 Use of Funds from Base FundingThe following categories of funding will be allowable under base funding:

Salary – broken down by specific categories – undergraduates, graduates, post graduate scholars, faculty, permanent staff, visitors, consultants;

Equipment to be purchased, including maintenance fees and upgrades; Software to be purchased, including maintenance fees and upgrades; Materials and supplies; Travel – domestic and international in separate categories; Conference hosting and executive education courses; Legal and other professional services including consultants, marketing and promotion fees; Publication fees; Support services; Other categories.

Categories of funding that will NOT be permissible under this award include:

Infrastructure costs such as building facilities and refurbishing existing facilities (this is expected as the lead university’s competitive advantage).

4.2 Industrial Funding SourcesEach KACST TIC is expected to attract sponsored project funding from its industrial member entities. For this purpose, industrial members will be any recognized Saudi company or entities outside the university including quasi-government agencies (such as Saudi Aramco, SABIC, SAGIA, SOIETZ, SIPA, etc.), technology parks, incubators, foreign companies with significant interests in the Kingdom, and multi-national companies.

4.2.1 Industrial Funding

Industrial entities might contribute their funding support in multiple ways and become a member of the industrial partnership for that TIC:

Member companies might contract with a single faculty or a group of faculty involved in the TIC for company directed research.

Member companies can provide in-kind contributions in lieu of cash contributions by donating equipment that is supportive of the research and education agenda of the TIC. For accounting purposes the in-kind contribution will be valued at 50% of the equipment fair


market value retail price for used equipment, and 100% of the retail price for new equipment. Funds for equipment maintenance support will also be included as part of the in-kind contribution.

Member companies can also contribute in-kind services in lieu of cash commitments by placing company professionals in secondment (temporary assignment) to the TIC. For accounting purposes, 100% of the professional’s base salary (not including company overhead) will be recognized as the industrial contribution.

A sub-set of member companies might form a mini-consortium in a specific subject area and can increase their contributions to support project research in this sub-thrust.

There will be no upper limit to the amount of industrial funds a TIC can attract.

4.2.2 KACST MatchingTo encourage industrial investment in the TIC program, KACST will provide a 1:1 match for all Industrial Funding Sources defined above up to a total of SR 5M per fiscal year. This is in addition to the base funding of SR 10M which KACST will provide to each TIC annually. Industry sponsors will not have the option of funding a TIC research project without matching funds. KACST matching funding is subject to audit verification of the industrial funds, and can be invoiced on a quarterly basis to KACST. There will be no restrictions on the use of these matching funds, which will be guided by the rules set for industrial funding by KACST.

5.0 DurationEach awarded TIC will be provided with KACST support as described above for five years, subject to annual review.

In the event that a TIC fails to meet the expected standards for continuation in its annual review by the KACST TIC Program office, the TIC will be given written feedback within one month of the annual review on expected improvements in its performance in specific categories, and the TIC program management at KACST may provide on-site consultation from experts on implementation of improvements. If the TIC does not properly address the shortcomings outlined in the report in the timeframe required by KACST, the TIC may be notified of termination of its funding within six months.

5.1 RenewalIt is expected that successful TICs with a strong program of research, education, and industrial participation will generate sufficient industrial funding to sustain themselves after the initial period of 5-year funding. In exceptional cases, a successfully developing TIC may need and be deserving of continued government support for an additional 5-year period. Existing TICs will be allowed to compete in the open competitive proposal process in their 4th year for continued funding.

6.0 Intellectual Property ManagementNegotiation of intellectual property (IP) rights can be a difficult subject when universities and industry work closely together. In order to present all parties with a consistent and equitable IP management


scheme, KACST has developed a standard TIC IP management process that assures any intellectual property developed within a KACST TIC is handled expeditiously, has the greatest opportunity for commercialization, and incentivizes all parties for their talent and support in an equitable fashion.

A standard IP management process across all KACST TIC’s will include:

TIC researcher IP Training – KACST will provide TIC researchers and administrators with instruction and training in basic intellectual property identification and management.

Invention Disclosure – TIC researchers who believe they have produced a patentable or copyrightable invention will be provided with processes and forms to disclose inventions to the TIC Director who will inform the KACST TIC Program Management Team.

IP Ownership – For base funded research, ownership of TIC IP will be assigned to KACST TD Corp. For industry sponsored research, IP ownership will be jointly assigned to KACST TD Corp. and the sponsoring partner(s).

IP Management – KACST TD Corp. will manage TIC IP that it feels has commercial potential through stages of patent prosecution, technology marketing, licensing, and post licensing monitoring at its own initial costs (expenses to be recovered from licensee fees and royalty/equity returns).

IP Commercialization – For base funded research, TIC IP will be commercialized by industry, whether third party licensees or spinout companies at the discretion of KACST TD Corp. For industrial sponsored research, KACST TD Corp. and the sponsoring partner(s) will have non-exclusive rights to commercialize IP.

IP Return Allocations – After recovery of KACST IP management expenses related to a specific technology from financial returns of that specific technology, KACST TD Corp. will allocate any remaining returns pro-rata between KACST and the host university according to its level of TIC support. For industry sponsored research, the remaining returns will be split pro-rata between KACST, the host university and the sponsoring partner(s).

IP Rights for Non-Commercialization Purposes – For the intention of research and education, host universities and KACST will have non-exclusive rights to all IP. For industry sponsored research, the industry sponsor(s) will also have non-exclusive rights to all IP.

To facilitate the process, KACST has developed the following matrix describing applicable IP rights for all research developed within TICs:


Base Funded Projects Sponsored Research Project – KACST and Industry Supported

IP Inventors Researcher(s) Researcher(s) including industry personnel if involved in specific research and invention

IP Ownership through Assignment of IP KACST TD Corp. KACST TD Corp. and industry joint ownership

IP Management including: Invention disclosure processing Technology market research Patent/copyright/trademark filing

and prosecution Licensee identification Technology license prosecution and

maintenance Royalty / fees management and

distribution

KACST TD Corp. KACST TD Corp.

IP Commercialization including: Commercialization team formation Product development / scale-up Capital raising Market introduction / penetration

KACST spinout company or established industry at KACST TD Corp discretion

KACST TD Corp and the sponsoring partner(s) will have non-exclusive rights to commercialize IP.

IP royalty, equity, and licensing fee allocation Order of allocation:1) Recuperation of IP management expenses2) Researcher payment per KACST TIC standard IP policy3) Remaining returns split between KACST and university pro-rata to TIC support

Order of allocation:1) Recuperation of IP management expenses2) Researcher payment per KACST TIC standard IP policy3) Remaining returns split between KACST, industry sponsor and university pro-rata to TIC support

IP Rights for Non-Commercialization Purposes

KACST and university KACST, universities, and industrial sponsors

6.1 PublicationsResearch is made available to the public body of knowledge through publication and communication. After research is released into the public domain it can no longer be protected as new knowledge. Thus releasing research into the public domain can be another difficult subject when multiple research entities work closely together. In order to present all parties with a consistent and equitable publication scheme, KACST has developed a standard TIC Publication process that assures any intellectual property developed within a KACST TIC is protected, while also ensuring TIC researchers have the greatest opportunity to publish new scientific discoveries.

A standard Publication management process across all KACST TICs will include:

The decision (if and when) to publish any new knowledge generated at TICs will rest with the KACST TIC Program.

The Scientific Committee at each TIC will do the first review of all new knowledge and recommend the decision to publish or protect (for patenting) new knowledge.

The recommendation will be reviewed by the TIC Program Director and final decision will be made.


Once a decision is made to publish, researchers involved in the project will be given the right to publish.

Researchers will have dual affiliation. For example, Researcher at KACST TIC # and Professor at University X.

KACST TIC Fellows and KACST research staff will have their affiliation as KACST TIC #, KACST.

7.0 Governance and Management StructureTICs will be funded, coordinated, guided and monitored by KACST TIC Program Management. A TIC Scientific Committee will be chosen in the transition phase by KACST and the Principal Investigator developing the proposal, in consultation with other team members and potential industrial members, as well as the lead institution administrative authorities. The Principal Investigator developing the proposal will serve as the head of the Scientific Committee at each TIC. The Scientific Committee must include a balanced representation of university administration (from amongst Rector, Vice-Rector, Deans, and heads of departments), industrial members, formal partner institutions, and KACST. The TIC Scientific Committee will be responsible for setting the intellectual direction of research at the center. The TIC Scientific Committee must meet at least once a quarter, and can meet more often as needed.

The recommended management structure is shown below.

KACST TICProgram Manager

ResearchThrust Leaders

KACST TICFellow

TICDirector

SupervisorIndustrialRelations

SupervisorOutreach

TICScientific

Committee

KACST TICProgram Manager

ResearchThrust Leaders

KACST TICFellow

TICDirector

SupervisorIndustrialRelations

SupervisorOutreach

TICScientific

Committee

7.1 TIC DirectorThe KACST TIC Program will recruit a competent manager to be placed at each of the funded TICs as the TIC Director. These TIC Directors will be recruited preferably from the private sector with research and technology management experience. The TIC Director will report to and be reviewed on an annual basis by the KACST TIC Program Manager. All TIC staff will report directly to the TIC Director.


7.3 KACST TIC FellowThrough the KACST Fellows Program, KACST will recruit and place multiple KACST TIC Fellows to reside in each TIC. Every project at a TIC will have at least one KACST TIC Fellow. Every Fellow will be a postdoc or recent Ph.D. from quality institutions and will be active members of the TIC research team. KACST will fund this fellowship independent of TIC awarded funds. This 3-year prestigious fellowship is intended to attract strong candidates who can participate in TIC research, provide leadership, and be a liaison to KACST’s TIC Advisory Council. The KACST TIC Fellow might spend the first year at a foreign center focused on a similar area of research in order to gain experience relevant to the TIC, and spend the next two years at the designated TIC. The KACST TIC Fellow will report to the TIC Director in the organizational structure and may also be assigned by KACST to be on the TIC Scientific Committee, provided he/she meets the proper criteria.

8.0 Application and Selection Process

8.1 Application

8.1.1 Timeline

8.1.1.1 RFP Release: 31 October 2009

8.1.1.2 Letter of Intent Due: 30 November 2009Two page letter of intent to submit a proposal in English (Times New Roman 12 point font, single spaced, 1” margins on all sides) containing the following, to be submitted electronically to [email protected]:

Name of TIC; Vision, goals, and research thrusts – one paragraph on each; and Names of Principal Investigator (lead proposer), Thrust Area Supervisors, and other key

personnel;

8.1.1.3 Full Proposal Due: 1 March 2010By 19 December 2009, selected teams will be invited to submit full proposals based on KACST review of the letters of intent. Proposals will be written in English with an additional Arabic Project Summary. For English, Times New Roman 12 point font will be used with single spacing and 1” margins on all sides. Tables and lists in the project description may be in 10 point font. Supplementary materials may also be in 10 point font. For Arabic, Naskh 18 point font will be used with 1” margins on all sides. Page numbers and the name of the proposed TIC will be used in the footer section. Four hard copies of the report will be submitted, in addition to electronic copies in Microsoft Word and Adobe PDF formats. The following will be included in proposals:

Cover sheet (1 page); Project summary (1 page limit). Include a brief problem statement, and proposed solution.

The summary should be informative to persons working in the same or related fields and understandable to a scientifically or technically literate lay reader. Include the TIC’s name, the Principal Investigator’s name and the university’s name. Briefly indicate the unique



opportunities that the Center will provide to all participants, and its interdisciplinary composition;

Table of contents (no page limit); Vision and Mission Statements (300 word limit). Vision statement should be a maximum of

2 sentences. Mission statement should be more specific; Guiding Principles (1 page limit). An itemized list of core guiding principles for the center’s

operations – the proposers (Principal Investigator and Co-Principal Investigators) are encouraged to collectively agree on these two items to assume buy-in from all stakeholders;

List of participants (no page limit): Lead university; Principal Investigator (PI); Co PIs/Thrust leaders/Thrust Area Supervisors; Permanent employees who will be involved in the project (include post doctoral

scholars, visiting scientists, administrative staff, but do not include graduate students, and undergraduates);

Suggested industrial members; Suggested foreign individual collaborators and their affiliations; and Suggested foreign research centers as potential collaborators.

Project description (40 page limit including all figures, tables, and charts). Given the vision and mission, present the strategic research plan, including its deliverables, the major fundamental and technological barriers in the way of achieving them, and the major research goals. Describe how the research program will be structured into thrusts or groups of projects and the role of small and large firms, test beds, and collaborations with entities designed to speed innovation in achieving the vision. For each thrust area, provide a concise table listing the faculty participants by name, their departments, and institutions. Discuss the goals and objectives of the thrust vis-à-vis the overall goals. Position the research proposed for the thrust in the state of the art and discusses its role in the strategic plan. Provide information on projected fundamental knowledge goals and technology deliverables, and the specific fundamental knowledge and other barriers the thrust will address. Provide specific examples of key research projects in sufficient detail for the reviewers to judge how the work will be done and methodologies to be used. Discuss the integration of projects within the thrust and the interdependencies among the thrusts. Discuss the cross-disciplinary mix needed to achieve the thrust's goals. Discuss when and how small firms will be involved in translational research to speed innovation.

Staffing capacity (5 page limit, not counting CVs). Identify all researchers and key permanent employees; indicate their availability and degree of time commitment. Please attach CVs (2 page limit) as an appendix;

Strategy to promote participation of women (1 page limit). Each TIC must evolve its own strategy to promote the participation of women at all levels of the center’s activities – undergraduates, graduates, post doctoral scholars, faculty, industrial participants, and academic visitors. This strategy must clearly demonstrate a commitment by TIC management to nurture women’s participation;

Education plan (4 page limit). Include innovative approaches to developing curricula, training for undergraduates, graduates, post doctoral scholars, and technicians, who can integrate knowledge across disciplines, are experienced with innovation and systems, work in teams, and are prepared for success in academia and industry;


Milestones (2 page limit). Provide a milestone chart or "road map" depicting the timing of the key research topics and their interdependencies, the test beds, and deliverables over a five-year period;

Center performance measures (3 page limit). Indicate how performance expectations will be established and measured – could include categories such as: Outstanding Research, Development of Educational Curricula, Training of Researchers, Robust Research Environment, Partnerships, Translation of Knowledge into products and services for society, Organizational Excellence, Public Outreach; indicate outcome indicators/markers;

Available and needed infrastructure (2 page limit). Briefly discuss the laboratories, shared facilities and equipment that will be utilized by TIC researchers. Distinguish between equipment and facilities that are already available and any that will need to be developed, include a description of headquarters space, size, and functionality; include cyber infrastructure in this section;

Conferences to be hosted/attended (2 page limit). Include planned workshops, and executive training programs, international and regional conferences planned or to be attended;

TIC Project Budget (no page limit). Please fill in the attached TIC Project Budget; Annual and cumulative budgets for five years. Please see Appendix A for the TIC Budget

Template; References cited (no page limit). Please attach these documents as an appendix; and Supplementary documents such as letters of support from rector/vice rector/deans,‐

proposed industry members or partner institutions (no page limit). Please attach these documents as an appendix.

8.1.1.4 Award Announcement: 1 May 2010

8.1.1.5 Project Start: 1 June 2010

8.2 Selection CriteriaLetters of Intent and full proposals will be reviewed by the KACST TIC Program. Selection will be based on a multitude of factors including achievement record, program needs, competitive advantage, facility availability and availability of TIC Fellows.All proposals will also be evaluated against the overarching goal of the KACST TIC program to create a series of university-based industry collaborative research centers in the Kingdom to meet four broad objectives:

8.2.1 Address economic and social goals of the Kingdom How well does the activity advance discovery and understanding while promoting teaching,

training, and learning within one of the 11 strategic technology initiatives of the Kingdom; To what extent will the TIC enhance the infrastructure for research and education, such as

facilities, instrumentation, networks, and partnerships; Will the TIC results be disseminated broadly to enhance scientific and technological

understanding; How well does the proposed activity broaden the participation of women; and What may be the benefits of the proposed activity to society?


8.2.2 Promote university-industry research collaboration and technology transfer in the Kingdom

Is there a convincing rationale for Industrial Members to partner with the university and the TIC, and the means to engage these members in planning, research, education and innovation;

Are there strong collaborations with agencies and programs designed to speed innovation; To what extent have small and medium firms, if appropriate to the research field, have been

involved in university research collaboration; and Is there evidence of previous industry engagement by the university?

8.2.3 Strengthen university research and science and engineering education in KSA How important is the proposed activity to advancing knowledge and understanding within

its own field or across different fields; Will university administrators from the lead and partner institutions join in partnership with

the TIC; How well qualified is the proposer team to conduct the project and to what extent does the

proposed activity suggest and explore creative and original concepts; How well conceived and organized is the proposed activity? Is there sufficient access to

resources; Does the education strategy, including an assessment strategy, define innovative

approaches to developing graduates who can integrate knowledge across disciplines, are experienced with innovation and systems, work in teams, and are prepared for success in a global economy;

Is there a plan to fully engage industry in the student’s educational experience; Is there evidence of a plan to provide educational exchanges (workshops, etc.) with industry

and affiliating organizations; and Is the institutional configuration is appropriate to the goals of the TIC and there is a

convincing strategy for cross-institution collaboration in research and education?

8.2.4 Implement best practices and appropriate features of the structure, incentives, and requirements of successful programs in countries similar to KSA

To what degree does the proposal define a leading edge culture of innovation with a symbiotic relationship between research, education, innovation, and life-long skill development to stimulate innovation and provide students and faculty with a globally-oriented research and education experience;

Is there a creative role for small firms to carry out translational research to speed technology transfer and provide students with an innovation experience;

Are experimental, computational, and other required equipment, facilities, and laboratory space in place or proposed to support the research of the center; and

Is there appropriate headquarters space and cross-institution communications equipment?

8.3 Site VisitBased on the review panel’s recommendations, a subset of proposals will be selected for a 1-day site visit by a team of experts. The day for the site visit will be selected by KACST TIC Program Management in consultation with the Principal Investigator. Each site visit team will have appropriate disciplinary coverage. KACST staff will facilitate the site visit team’s deliberations, and will attend each site visit as observers. The Principal Investigator (PI) and leadership of the proposed TIC will be given the chance to


respond to perceived weaknesses. The site visit panel’s recommendation will be final before KACST announces the awards.

A summary rating and accompanying narrative will be completed and submitted by each reviewer. In all cases, reviews are treated as confidential documents. Verbatim copies of reviews, excluding the names of the reviewers, will be sent to the PI. In addition, the proposer will receive an explanation of the decision to award or decline funding.

8.4 Seed FundingProposal(s) that do not make the final award selection, but are considered meritorious, may at the discretion of the TIC management be considered for 1-year seed funding. The goal of this 1-year seed funding phase will be to help the proposers strengthen their weaknesses to compete more effectively for the next round of funding opportunities.

9.0 Contractual Process

9.1 Legal AgreementsKACST and the Ministry of Higher Education are in the process of signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) that will spell out the rights, responsibilities and obligations of universities, the Ministry and KACST with regard to TICs. Legal agreements between KACST and the selected TICs will be subjugate to the abovementioned MoU. KACST is in the process of developing legal terms and conditions that will be shared with the TIC applicants prior to the deadline for submission of final proposals.

9.2 Industrial MembershipA key component of each TIC’s creation is the industrial need for cutting edge research in the TIC’s field leading to high value products across the Center’s target industries. In order to drive active industrial collaboration from program inception to technology transfer, KACST will organize an Industrial Membership program consisting of technology developers and end users, entrepreneurs, technology commercialization groups, etc. Industrial Members will partner with the Center to guide programs - from identifying future high-value research directions to bringing specific TIC technologies to commercialization. Performance accountability will be achieved via semi-annual TIC/Industrial Member meetings with substantial project review. Unfavorable review of a project may lead to termination in order to enhance the most successful ongoing projects to achieve the Center’s goals.

Additional components of a TIC’s industrial collaboration program will include:1) Opportunities for Industrial Partners to sponsor and participate in further targeted research

under favorable financial conditions; and2) A focus on joint TIC/industry research proposals to other funding agencies on major grant

programs; providing downstream self-sufficiency to the Center.


KACST TIC Program Management will be responsible for identifying and approaching a select set of firms from the private sector to become industrial members. TIC industrial members will have the option of sponsoring a research project or paying a token membership fee to be decided at the time of the formation of the TIC. Membership alone does not give the firm access to any intellectual property generated at the TIC. Membership only provides the firm access to TIC students, researchers, research briefings and other TIC events.

9.3 PaymentsKACST TICs will be managed and funded by the TIC program management at KACST. Payments to TICs will be made through the Science and Technology Units (STUs) at host universities. Vice Rectors responsible for the STUs will act as the point of contact for funds disbursement at participating universities.

10.0 Monitoring and EvaluationKACST will be responsible for improving the performance of the TICs through program oversight, the Center’s operational management, the TIC program's annual meeting, and the annual and renewal review processes. KACST also supports small teams of experienced staff from ongoing university – industry collaborative research centers (the TIC Consultancy) to visit new TICs to help establish effective programs of administration and industrial collaboration. In addition, KACST staff will brief the new TICs on-site at the lead institution on program and performance expectations shortly after notification of award.

10.1 Annual TIC MeetingKACST will organize an annual meeting of all TICs at KACST. This will provide an opportunity to existing TIC managers and administrators to learn from each other about best practices, successes and challenges, and provide feedback to TIC program management. In addition, this will allow newly awarded TICs to showcase their proposed center’s thrust, and learn from their peers. Members of all TIC leadership teams are required to participate. Prospective centers should include funds in their travel budgets to support the participation in a 2-day meeting of the TIC Director, Thrust Area Leaders, Industry Liaison Supervisor, Outreach Supervisor, Scientific Committee members (if they choose to participate, marketing managers and students). The meeting will be open to Industrial Members, who will be expected to pay for their own travel and participation.

10.2 Annual ReviewTICs will submit annual reports that are moderately extensive in scope. KACST will provide guidelines for these reports. TICs will also collect and submit data on indicators of progress, outcome, impact, and financial management. KACST will provide data definition guidelines and templates for the recording and submission of these data through a secure web site.


11.0 Key ContactDr. Mohammad S KhorsheedDirector, Technology Development Centre (TDC)King Abdulaziz City for Science & Technology (KACST)P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi ArabiaEmail: [email protected]: (966) 1 481 47 47; Fax: (966) 1 481 47 48



Glossary

Industrial Member – A select set of firms from the private sector will be identified and approached to sponsor contract research at TICs. Each Industrial Member will have the opportunity to sponsor contract research, be given access to TIC students and researchers, and attend research briefings and TIC events.

KACST TD Corp – KACST Technology Development Corporation is a KACST-affiliated company dedicated to technology development and commercialization. The company is currently under development.

Scientific Committee – Each TIC will constitute a Scientific Committee with representation from the following categories (numbers in each category left to the proposer):

University Administration – from among Rector, Vice-Rectors, Deans, Chairs of Departments;

TIC Administration – will include TIC Director and Thrust Area Supervisors; Industrial Members - choice left to KACST; KACST – from among KACST TIC Fellows and other KACST staff; and Subject experts – field experts approved by KACST TIC Program Management.

Thrust Area Leader – Each TIC is expected to have multiple scientific/engineering thrust areas. Each thrust area will be led by an expert who could be a faculty member at the lead or partner universities, or experienced members on secondment from participating industrial entities. They will report directly to the TIC Director, and serve on Scientific Committee.

TIC Director – KACST will recruit and place at each TIC a competent manager from industry who has experience in managing large technological projects. The TIC Director will report to the TIC Program Manager. The TIC Director will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the TIC. All TIC staff report directly to the TIC Director.

Testbed –The testbed is a physical or conceptual infra-structure for final testing of a systems level solution. It rests on two lower levels of technology – the fundamental research that produces the knowledge base, and the set of enabling technology tools that emerge. The testbed integrates several tools in order to provide a laboratory to do trial and error runs of the systems level solution. It is a vitally important tool for proof-of-concept validation before acceptance by industrial partners. A sample 3-level chart from the Biomimetic MicroElectronics Systems (BMES) Engineering Research Center (ERC) at University of Southern California is shown below:


Translational - The concept of translational research has received very strong focus in the biomedical community over the last few years, as a new way of thinking about and conducting life sciences research to accelerate healthcare outcomes, and is often seen as the key missing component. With its focus on removing barriers to multi-disciplinary collaboration, translational research has the potential to drive the advancement of any technical field. By enabling end-users to leverage systems technologies, translational research enables a feedback loop from the earliest stages of research to product design. It does not involve the final commercialization concepts, which are expected to occur in the incubators.


Appendix A – Annual and Cumulative BudgetsPlease use an Excel spreadsheet. Sample format below:

Sample TIC Project BudgetPlease use this template to complete your budgetUniversity:Principal Investigator:Year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5

Income

KACST Base FundingSAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000University Base FundingIndustrial FundingKACST 1:1 Match Funding (maximum SR 5M)

Total IncomeSAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000SAR

10,000,000

ExpensesProject 1SalariesResearcher 1 SalaryResearcher 1 IncentiveResearcher 2 SalaryResearcher 2 IncentiveResearcher X SalaryResearcher X IncentiveAdministrative Staff 1Administrative Staff 2Administrative Staff XGraduate Student 1Graduate Student XUndergraduate Student 1Undergraduate Student X


Other Staff 1Other Staff XTotal Project 1 Salaries 0 0 0 0 0

Equipment, Materials and SuppliesCapital Item 1Maintenance on Capital Item 1Capital Item XMaintenance on Capital Item XMaterialsSuppliesTotal Project 1 Equipment, Materials and Supplies 0 0 0 0 0

Additional CostsTravel - DomesticTravel - InternationalWorkshops and Executive TrainingPublication Cost / Documentation / DisseminationConsultant ServicesComputer ServicesMiscellaneous Total Project 1 Additional Costs 0 0 0 0 0

Total Project/Thrust 1 Expenses 0 0 0 0 0

Please repeat for each project/thrust


Documents

KACST TIC Request For Proposal and Program Guidelines Technology Innovat… · Web viewTICs will be funded, coordinated, guided and monitored by KACST TIC Program Management. A