FAQs

This Fund, part of the CaixaResearch Institute's Innovation Hub initiative, supports the transfer of innovative research to society. It addresses the need for better connections between research centres and practical applications, focusing on the early stages of innovation exploration including idea maturation, evaluation of transfer potential, and analysis of market needs, among other aspects.

This funding opportunity is of a different nature. It is an internal funding mechanism of the CaixaResearch Institute, extended to the ecosystem of research centres with which it collaborates. The instrument supports unsolicited proposals from researchers on an ongoing basis and in any area of interest if the proposal aligns with the core mission of the Innovation Hub. Specifically, it focuses on the transfer of outputs from research to society through innovation and therefore targets individuals, ideas and teams oriented towards transference.

This Fund supports research results transfer from lab to application for healthier societies. As such, it prioritises the value proposition and vision for impact over academic excellence. Please note that while the proposal is not evaluated based on its economic impact, it should still provide some guidance on economic sustainability to describe the potential for transfer and societal impact.

You may ask yourself some questions to gain clarity:

• Is there a societal or market need where my research results could make an impact or that requires the development of an innovation within my field of expertise?

• Do I, or someone on my team, have the motivation and availability to lead the required experiments and transfer activities to follow this line of inquiry?

• Is that person committed to bringing the research to society if the transfer value is validated, beyond this funding opportunity?

• Do you develop first approaches towards a potential exploitation strategy of the research results, searching, for example, for potential licensees, exploitation routes, or collaborators?

If you answer 2 or more questions positively, this may be the right opportunity for you.

The maximum budget allocated per project is 30,000€, with the final grant amount being determined by the specific project’s characteristics and scope of planned activities. The period of implementation may last a maximum of 12 months. Both the budget and timeline values are just indicative and do not need to be reached necessarily. E.g. A two-people team presents a plan that includes funding needs for a couple of tests and a consultation with a legal adviser to be executed over a period of five months.

The scientific activities in the development plan may build on existing research results and ongoing projects, as long as they respond to a different approach, one that is oriented to transfer as opposed to further improving ground knowledge.

Indeed, this Fund is expected to open new paths, avoiding diverting resources from fundamental research to explore application hypotheses.

This means that scientific testing that may be funded should strictly and specifically target research questions that directly impact the transferability of knowledge and results. If the proposal is not clear, the assessment panel may request further clarification or reject the proposal.

Yes, the proposal can be led by non-researcher personnel (e.g., technicians, research managers, and others) from the participant institutes, provided they have the commitment, vision, and knowledge needed for the successful leadership of the proposed project.

Yes, the proposal may involve external collaborators, if necessary. However, it is important to note that the leadership and intellectual property will ultimately reside within the Center applying associated with the CaixaResearch Institute.

We consider being in a “very early stage” those proposals and teams that are taking the first steps to define the transfer opportunity and require a small financial support to gain better clarity of the transfer potential and capacity needs.

As a rule of thumb, we understand these proposals may not be in shape yet to apply competitively in standard innovation and tech transfer funding programs, nor to be presented to potential external (notably industrial) partners. Ideally, following support from this Fund, the proposal will be well-prepared to apply for additional competitive programs.

The proposals may be sent by the innovation officer or the Principal Investigator using the application form available at the Innovation Hub webpage. Once a cut-off has been announced, the resolution is expected to be communicated within the following month.

The application will be formed by a sole PDF document of max. 5 pages, redacted in English, and should contain the following information:

• Administrative information.

• Technical proposal: idea description, team potential, development plan, funding needs.

• Complementary material in the form of maximum ten additional slides may be included.

Proposals will undergo evaluation based on three main criteria:

• the quality of the idea,

• the team’s potential,

• the development plan.

A crucial aspect of a strong proposal is the identification of a solid value proposition, aligning the research questions with the transfer potential pertinently (a), and proposing the right steps to test them (c). Given the Fund's focus on early-stage innovation, the assessment of the team (b) will go beyond specific sets of skills to also consider their drive, resourcefulness and potential for growth.

As examples, proposals for consideration would pertain, but are not limited, to the following:

• Testing of various approaches (technological or other) to tackle a pre-identified issue.

• The development of a technological advancement, which could subsequently lead to diverse applications. Given its early-stage status, it remains in the exploratory phase.

Please be aware that, for instance, if a researcher is evaluating different technologies for distinct problem areas, a separate proposal must be submitted for each, as the requirements and team composition may vary for each proposal.

The Fund supports both well-structured projects with a clear orientation and more exploratory proposals that require expert guidance to evaluate their innovation potential (e.g. through a patentability test) or clarify innovation application settings.

The research and innovation managers at your research institute will help you to adequately orient your proposal depending on the maturation stage and the available skills. During the evaluation process, you may also receive specific feedback to improve your proposal for future funding rounds.

The assessment panel will provide recommendations for improvement and invite to reapply those proposals that they deem relevant.

Ideally, a funded proposal will reach a stage that enables it to be submitted to targeted competitive calls. However, in the initial stages of defining the transfer project, this may be evaluated if deemed appropriate by the committee (e.g., during the first funding round, the funds are requested for a patentability study. Subsequently, during a second funding round a more defined project is established for one of the assets).

You may engage in other activities within the CaixaResearch Institute’s Innovation Hub that will help you gain a deeper understanding of this journey (training, networking events, etc.). The research and innovation managers at your centre can inform you about these opportunities as they are created. This is a living initiative that may evolve as it does its community. We welcome your ideas at [email protected]!