Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) Funding

Through the State of Maryland’s Technology Development Corporation (TEDCO), funds are available to foster the commercialization of university technologies through technology validation, market assessment, and the creation of start-up companies in Maryland.

Technology Validation & Market Assessment

Size: $130,000 for JHU applicant / $180,000 if joint with UMBC, UMB, Morgan State and/or UMCP
Length of Project: Nine (9) months
Application Deadline: Quarterly (Jan 15, Apr 15, July 15, Oct 15)
Eligibility: Johns Hopkins faculty inventors with patent filings that have not yet been licensed

Notes:

  • Requires working with a JHU / TEDCO site-miner (assigned by JHTV) and Letters of Support from both the site-miner and JHTV
  • $12,500 of the award can be used to pay down JHU patent expenses related to the technology (highly recommended)
  • 15,000 of the award is allocated for commercialization strategy support (robust commercialization report is a required deliverable)
  • If technology is licensed out of state, Hopkins is required to pay back TEDCO the full amount plus interest from the applicable licensing revenue

Company Formation

Size: Up to $300,000
Length of Project: Up to nine months
Application Deadline:  Quarterly (Jan 15, Apr 15, July 15, Oct 15)
Eligibility: Startup companies which have licensed Johns Hopkins technology from qualifying universities, including Johns Hopkins

Notes:

  • Work closely with a TEDCO site miner
  • Company must remain in Maryland or reimburse funds
  • Funding is in the form of a convertible debt note

Program Requirements

The MII program requires each applicant to engage with a Site Miner a minimum of two weeks prior to application submission. Site Miners are individuals selected by the MII program to assist start-ups and faculty in the process of submitting a strong business-oriented application, focused on commercialization. These individuals work as liaisons between the applicant and the MII program, providing valuable input and feedback prior to submission of an MII application. Site Miners are the ‘champions’ for each application during the review process and are expected to present each application at the review committee meeting. Involving a Site Miner early in the application process increases an applicant’s odds of success.

Questions

Connect with Christina for more information about MII.

Christina DeMur

Director, Technology Development
Telephone 443-927-3539
Email [email protected]