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.
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.
The Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) was created as a partnership between the State of Maryland and five Maryland academic research institutions (Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, University of Maryland College Park, University of Maryland Baltimore and University of Maryland Baltimore County.) The program is designed to promote commercialization of research conducted in the partnership universities and leverage each institution’s strengths.
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Technology Validation & Market Assessment
Size: $115,000 for JHU applicant / $165,000 if joint with UMBC, UMB, Morgan State and/or UMCP
Length of Project: Nine (9) months
Application Deadline: First business day of every odd month (i.e. January, March, May, etc.)
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
- $10,000 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
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Company Formation
Size: Up to $150,000
Length of Project: Up to nine months
Application Deadline: First week of every odd month (i.e. January, March, May, etc.)
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
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Program Requirements
SITE MINER
Engage today with a
Three site miners are available to Johns Hopkins inventors to provide feedback on and advocate for applications to the MII program.
Translational Funding
Guidance on
Brian can help you identify the right funding for your project.