EXPECTATIONS

Funding from the Deshpande Center carries with it certain expectations, as outlined below.

SEE ALSO:
Guidelines and Resources
No-cost extensions
Renewals

Use of Funds

The funding shall be used for innovative research as described in the proposal.

Program Participation

There is an expectation that faculty funded by the Deshpande Center are keen to see their research make an impact on the marketplace, whether through a start-up or some other license. The Center provides guidance and teambuilding opportunities through its Catalyst Program, connections to the entrepreneurial community, and the i-Teams class. It hosts an annual IdeaStream symposium, an annual fall VIP Open House, occasional workshops, and other events to enhance and showcase innovative work done at MIT. We understand that, if funded by the Center, you and your team will be asked to participate as appropriate.

Sustainability

The Deshpande Center depends on the support of successful alumni, entrepreneurs, and investors to provide a sustainable source of funding for innovative research and assistance to help it reach the marketplace. Voluntary donations of equity from start-ups resulting from work funded by the Deshpande Center are appreciated and encouraged to ensure the future sustainability of the center.

• Initial kick-off meeting with the TLO
• Regular meetings with Catalyst - as appropriate, usually monthly
• Informal notification of all significant milestones
• A midterm and final status report presentation
• Final written report to the Deshpande Center
• Patent disclosures - As described above
• Publications - Publication of results from work sponsored by the Center is encouraged, and with appropriate acknowledgement of Deshpande Center support.
• Media relations – Grant recipients will be announced to the media shortly after they are selected. When appropriate, faculty funded by the Center might be asked to interface with the press. Media training will be available.

Conflict of Interest

Faculty funded by the Deshpande Center should follow MIT guidelines in Policy and Procedures and be diligent to avoid conflict of interest related to the funding, research, or collaborators on the project.

• Grant program
• Catalyst Program
• Events

We depend on the support of successful alumni, entrepreneurs, and investors to provide a sustainable source of funding for innovative research and assistance to help it reach the marketplace.

• Note important upcoming dates for Deshpande Center events, including the Catalyst party, VIP Open House, and IdeaStream Symposium.
• Come to the Messaging Workshop and Orientation for New Grantees
• Provide us with a PowerPoint slide from which we may cull images or information for future presentations
• Review a draft summary that will be used for the press release and website
• Work with the Center to set up a kick-off meeting, midterm review, and final review presentation with Catalysts.

While the grants are not publicly announced until about 6 weeks after recipients are notified, the cost objects are set up right away; you will receive notification from OSP when this happens. Let Katja () know if you have any problems with your account.

MEDIA RELATIONS: Reporters like to hear about the Deshpande Center's newest projects. We do our best to serve a gate-keeping role in order to maximize appropriate exposure while minimizing disruption to grant recipients. Our messaging workshop is intended to answer any questions you may have about working with the media.

NO-COST EXTENSIONS: We like to see projects completed as proposed, so we do not encourage no-cost extensions. But if needed to meet the project objectives, you should submit a request letter that includes a brief summary of progress to date (both technical and business), proposed milestones, proposed completion date, uncommitted balance, and budget. Please do so before the pre-proposal deadline preceding the end of your funding term. No Cost Extension requests will be evaluated at a review meeting where the PI, Deshpande Center staff, and Catalyst(s) review progress to date and discuss specific milestones for the extension term. You should submit a request letter to .

RENEWALS: If you have a grant and would like to be considered for follow-on funding, YOU MUST LET US KNOW BY THE PRE-PROPOSAL DEADLINE to be considered for funding. You must then submit a full proposal with a note on progress to date by the Full Proposal deadline. Please consider whether the Deshpande Center is the appropriate source of funding for the follow-on work. After Ignition Grants, we expect that you would have achieved significant technical progress in assuring technical feasibility and definition of intellectual property. Renewals on Innovation Grants are less likely, but possible if the potential impact of the project and benefits of Deshpande Center funding are clear. We encourage you to discuss your plans with us in advance of proposal preparation. There should be good definition of how the proposed continuation of work addresses a significant market opportunity and how it would be best brought to market before we can consider it for another grant. Total funding should not exceed $250K for the life of the project.

REPORTING: Please keep the Deshpande Center and your Catalyst in the loop on any minor accomplishments or milestones, at a minimum quarterly with a quick email. Additionally, we ask that you submit your annual report 1 month after the termination of your funding. An annual report form is available online.

TEAMBUILDING: The Deshpande Center uses various methods for helping build teams. Informally, Catalysts, the Executive Director, and events can be a good source of partners. As projects move into later stages, Innovation Teams may be appropriate. The "i-Teams" program is a three-way partnership between the Deshpande Center, MIT Venture Capital and Private Equity Club, and the MIT Entrepreneurship Center. Students and alumni are teamed with a project to develop a go-to-market strategy that often leads to a business plan. The PI and/or primary researchers are expected to take an active role in these teams. Another, similar, opportunity that would involve a little less commitment involves presenting your idea at the beginning of the semester to the New Enterprises Sloan class; some of the students may want to take your idea and run with it.

TECHNOLOGY LICENSING AND IP STRATEGY: All IP generated under sponsorship of Deshpande Center grants is assigned to MIT, as with any on-campus sponsored research. Early in a project, we like to see the PI, with relevant team members, the Catalyst, the Executive Director, and the Technology Licensing Office get together and think through IP and commercialization strategies and determine next steps.

OTHER PARTNERSHIPS: We work closely with many groups on campus, such as the Venture Mentoring Service and the MIT $50K Competition. Many of our grant recipients have entered the $50K competition with good results, with business plans based on their technologies. In 2003 we had two finalists, and in 2004 we had a winner and a finalist. Although we focus primarily on preparing innovative research for transfer to the commercial sector, the Venture Mentoring Service is an effective resource for start-ups coming out of MIT, and many of our projects have drawn on their resources as well.

OPEN HOUSE: Our annual Open House in the late fall is an opportunity for the closest friends of the Deshpande Center to see posters and demos from our latest grant recipients. It is an informal setting over cocktails and hors d'oeuvres for people from the MIT and business communities to get to know each other and exchange ideas.

CATALYST PARTY: Each semester we have a small party to celebrate our latest grant recipients in advance of announcing the grant round. It's an informal party for our grant recipient teams and Catalysts to get to know each other, and all new grant recipients are asked to give a brief (2-3 sentence) "elevator pitch" of their project. It is not unusual for MIT collaborations to evolve from this event.

OTHER: We are always experimenting with new event formats with the goal to spark new market-driven ideas and bring together the research and business communities. Some examples are Ignition Forums, joint seminars with student groups, teambuilding events, and so on. These are purely optional; as we inform you about them, you should decide what would be useful to you.