OVERVIEW

The Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) is inviting qualified applicants to the Call for Proposals for SPRINT (Short-term Program for Researchers on Innovation and Technopreneurship). The SPRINT complements the council’s efforts in commercializing technologies where it aims to inspire, encourage and upskill researchers and scientists to spin-off or license their technologies which are products of their research projects funded by PCIEERD.

Technology transfer is considered a new field where researchers and scientists are inadequately trained or ill-prepared. As a result, a low number of technologies are being commercialized or transferred because researchers and scientists veer away or avoid involvement in commercialization decisions and activities. This behavior is not unique in the Philippines as researchers in academia in different countries exhibit the same behavior. According to the study of Bercovitz and Feldman, only few academic scientists commit to spin-off creation, and most tend to remain in their traditional occupational choices as full-time scientists or choose a less entrepreneurial path of knowledge commercialization, such as training, or consulting (Bercovitz and Feldman 2008; O’Kane et al. 2015; Würmseher 2017).

This is unfortunate since critical employment of tacit knowledge requires the participation of the scientist in the transfer of early-stage technologies (Shane 2004). If the researcher finds it difficult to participate in technology transfer or refuses to do so for many reasons, it was found difficult to deploy the invention in an industrial environment (Siegel et al. 2003; Stevens and Bagby 1999).

Commercialization requires a different mindset and different set of skills for a transfer to be successfully undertaken. Being an entrepreneur in an academic setting requires an entrepreneurial mind-set to identify opportunities, organize resources, and create new ventures (Mangematin et al. 2014; Murnieks et al. 2014a; O’Kane et al. 2019; Würmseher 2017).

The DOST-PCIEERD has organized workshops and short-term training programs targeting researchers for mindset transformation – from research to an entrepreneurial mindset. The past trainings organized by RITTD for researchers are:

1. The Filipinnovation Entrepreneurship Corp (FEC) which is patterned after the Innovation-Corps Model run by the National Science Foundation in Silicon Valley transforming hundreds of scientists into entrepreneurs. The FEC have already trained 30 research teams which includes technology transfer officers in each team. The FEC Programme was run by the De La Salle University and have already completed 3 batches.

2. Science and Technology Entrepreneurship Program: Preparing Scientists and Engineers to Lead Spin-Off Companies for their Innovations, zeroed in on researchers of PCIEERD-funded projects and equip them with the entrepreneurial skills and knowledge to commercialize the products of their research. The Ateneo de Manila educational resources were leveraged for the success of this program and mentors from the School of Management were tapped to achieve its goals.

3. Business Modelling and Product-Market Fit (Licensing Track for Researchers) focuses on comprehensive evaluations of the value proposition and commercial potential of research endeavors, providing essential tools to actively engage with industry partners for field trials, manufacturing collaborations, licensing agreements, and potential investment opportunities.

4. Leaders in Innovation Program was a more advanced immersion and training program on business modelling, pitching and business development in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Asian Institute of Management and the Newton Fund of the British Embassy.

5. Licensing Clinic consisted of three parts: a technology licensing webinar, a licensing simulation, and licensing clinics which helps small groups of research teams in understanding licensing terms, formulating a licensing strategy, targeting markets and preparing financial projections.

The first SPRINT Cycle was run on 2023 which aimed to formalize all the above initiatives under one umbrella program that focuses on educating researchers and transforming their mindsets while they are still in their last year of R&D implementation or immediately at project end. This call for SPRINT 2024 is the second run of the SPRINT Program which aims to replicate the assistance program for researchers and scientists with completed projects or projects in the last year of implementation of their R&D projects.

OPPORTUNITY SUMMARY

The Philippine Council for Industry, Energy, and Emerging Technology Research and Development (PCIEERD) is launching it’s the second season of SPRINT featuring the offerings on FEC, STEP, SIKLAB, LIFT and the Licensing Clinic.

We would like to invite qualified applicants for the Call for Proposals for the SPRINT Cycle 2 (Short-term Program for Researchers on Innovation and Technopreneurship).

The program is open to all universities and academic institutions to implement short term programs with the following scope:

Call for Opening from June 1 – 11, 2024

1. Problem Solution Fit: Customer Discovery

a. PCIEERD researchers of ongoing projects on the last year of implementation or newly completed projects.

b. Six (6) Batches of at least 10 teams each, include 5 members: Principal Investigator, 2 Co-lead Investigators, 1 Technology Transfer Officer and 1 RITTD Personnel

c. 1 FEC Mentor will be assigned per team

d. Hybrid format with only 1 online session per week, and 4-5 face-to-face events which may include

1. Orientations and graduation exercises
2. Demo day events with private sector partners and investors

e. Training time: 96 hours/per participant x 300 participants, including consultation hours

a. Total Project Duration: 6-8 months

f. Total Project Cost should include Travel Expenses for trainers and participants

g. Topics should include but not limited to:

• Team familiarization and formation
• Industry Experience & Success Stories
• Market Identification and Sizing
• User Persona and Jobs to be done
• Value Proposition
• User Workflow
• Validating Problem Statements
• Crafting Interview Questions
• Customer Discovery Interview and Best Practices

h. Outputs:

• 40 or more interviews accomplished for each technology
• Validated Problem Statement for STEP & SIKLAB
• Validated Value Proposition Statement

2. Business Modelling and Product-Market Fit (Spin-off Track)

a. Audience is selected DOST – PCIEERD Researchers from the customer discovery module interested to spin off

b. Minimum of 10 teams to include 5 members form the previous module, with mandatory participation of the university technology transfer office

c. Hybrid format with only 1 online session per week, and 4-5 face-to-face events which may include:

1. Orientations and graduation exercises '
2. Demo day events with private sector partners and investors

d. Training time: 96 hours/per participant x 50 participants

e. Maximum of 5 months

f. Maximum grant of 5M including travel expense

g. Topics should include but not limited to:

• IP strategy and Prior Art Search
• Reiteration of their Value proposition
• Market Identification and Sizing
• Lean Canvass
• Beach head markets and customer segments
• Technology Roadmapping
• Performance benchmarks and competitive advantage
• Team formation
• Validation through product-market fit activities
• Technology-based entrepreneurship
• Financial Projections
• Cost-benefit analysis
• Acquiring business partners

h. Outputs:

• 10 technologies with Lean Canvas Models
• At least 5 FASTRAC Proposals

3. Business Modelling and Product-Market Fit (Licensing Track)

a. Selected DOST – PCIEERD researchers from the customer discovery module interested in licensing.

b. Minimum of 10 teams to include 5 members form the previous module, with mandatory participation of the university technology transfer office

c. Hybrid format with only 1 online session per week, and 4-5 face-to-face events which may include:

1. Orientations and graduation exercises
2. Demo day events with private sector partners and investors

d. Training time: 96 hours/per participant x 50 participants

e. Maximum of 5 months

f. Maximum grant of 5M including travel expense

g. Topics should include but not limited to:

• Re-assessment Value proposition Statement
• Business Model Canvass
• Manufacturing Standards
• Basics of Networking
• Technology Roadmapping
• Supply Chain Analysis
• Stakeholder Mapping
• IP position and strategy
• Valuation, ROI, Cost-benefit Analysis and Profitability Assessment
• Preparation for Regulatory Compliance
• Understanding performance benchmarks
• Technology-based entrepreneurship
• Transforming into a Deal-making Mindset

h. Outputs:

• 10 technologies with Letters of Intent from potential adoptors
• At least 5 FASTRAC LITE Proposals