Opportunities

Workforce
H-1B Technical Skills Training Grants Program - Department of Labor
Deadline: November 17, 2011

Approximately $240 million available to support 75-100 grants to provide education, training and job placement assistance in the occupations and industries that employers use H-1B visas to hire foreign workers. Individual awards will range between $1 million -$5 million for 48-month performance periods.

Two grant types: 1) On-the-Job Training; and 2) Other training strategies. Proposals must include at least two entities from among the following groups:

• businesses or business-related nonprofit organizations, such as trade associations;
• education and training providers, including community colleges and other community-based organizations; and
• entities involved in administering the workforce investment system, and economic development agencies.

More Information

Education
Course and Program grants
Deadline: December 2, 2011 & May 4, 2012

This grant from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance is targeted to strengthening curricular programs and to build new courses and programs in invention, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

The award range from $2,000-$50,000 with a grant period of 1-3 years.

More Information

Education
Advanced E-Team grants
Deadline: December 2, 2011 & May 4, 2012

These grants from the National Collegiate Inventors and Innovators Alliance support commercialization by moving science and technology innovations to market.

An E-Team is a multi-disciplinary group of faculty, students, and industry mentors. Together they bring products and technology to market.

Award amounts of $1,000-$20,000 and a grant period of 12-18 months.

More Information

Federal support for tech commercialization efforts
NSF Partnerships for Innovation grants
Deadline: January 4, 2012

The deadline above is for required letters of intent. Full proposals are due Mar 1. Eligibility for lead organization remains limited to academic institutions and NSF-funded research alliances -- but teaming is required. Up to 22 awards are anticipated from funding of $15 million. Individual awards max out at $600-800K over two years.

The NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program is an umbrella for two complementary subprograms: one of which involves an earlier stage that focuses on building innovation capacity and the other involves a later stage that focuses on the acceleration of innovative research. The former emphasizes the transformation of knowledge to market-accepted innovations created by the research and education enterprise, while the latter emphasizes the translation of research to commercialization by NSF-funded research alliances. A research alliance is defined as a research partnership formed for mutual benefit, and funded by NSF, between/amongst universities and other entities. In the final analysis, both programs, while focusing on different stages are concerned with the movement of academic research into the marketplace.

More Information

Efficiency & Knowledge Management
Smarter Cities Challenge
Deadline: Dec 16, 2011

This is an interesting opportunity that we think some innovative VDO partnering with their regional cities and area colleges could exploit to make innovation-oriented development work more efficiently through better information and data systems around knowledge, investments and global market opportunities. IBM is partnering with 100 cities over three years to provide expert advice on how to make systems work better. Anyone up to the challenge?

More Information

Public works & economic development
EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs
Deadline: December 15, 2011

The deadline for funding cycle 2 of the EDA Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Program is December 15.

This grant is intended to leverage regional assets to support implementation of regional economic development strategies designed to create jobs, attract private capital, and encourage economic development.

Eligible applicants for this grant include Economic Development District, Indian Tribe, higher education institution, non-profit organization, or a State, city, or other political subdivision of a state.

If the December 15 deadline is missed, those interested can apply for the 3rd funding cycle, which is due on March 9.

More Information