Funded by an NIH grant through the C-IDEA consortium at Stanford, this program provides small seed grants (up to $25,000) to teams of faculty, postdocs, fellows, or students (or a combination) to allow them to explore global needs with potential medical technology solutions. The grant may provide funding for travel as well as prototyping and other project expenses; the support does not include any stipends or compensation. In addition to receiving financial support, the projects will also benefit from Stanford Biodesign's extensive network of medtech stake-holders in India and Singapore.

A key goal of the C-IDEA program is to help the projects reach a successful conclusion. Projects that progress to an advanced stage of concept development and have an explicit need for additional support may submit a request for follow on funding. However, such funding is limited and contingent upon the demonstration of substantial progress.

Eligibility

To be eligible to be considered for these grants you must

• be a faculty, staff, student or fellow at Stanford
• be a part of a team (two or more individuals)
• be working on a global problem involving a medical technology solution

Criteria

We will use the following criteria to judge submissions:

• Importance of Need
  • Clinical/Societal Burden
  • Market Size
• Viability of Concept (based on work so far, bench-top testing, IP generated, etc.)
• Degree of Innovation
• Market Viability
  • Affordability
  • Ease of Adoption
• Potential for Global Impact
• Team Strength (including mentors - US and abroad)
• Plan of Action (clarity, achievable milestones)
• Potential for Success in Near Term (i.e. simpler projects, fewer clinical requirements, etc.)
• Leverage of Other Resources (including supporting institutions and companies abroad, additional financial support, cash or in-kind)  

A Note About IP

As this is funded under an NIH grant, grantees may have some concerns about the government expecting access to any IP created under these grants. Here's the way it works:

• The government gets a non-royalty license; this means they do not get royalties from any sales of products produced
• They do want the ability to pursue the technology (or grant a license to someone else to pursue the technology) in the event that the inventors do not actively pursue the technology/have abandoned it, and there is a need for the technology.
• The government does require that technology be manufactured locally, though paperwork may be filed to make an exception if there is a good reason (e.g., you are developing a low-cost device for use in third world settings and it needs to be locally manufactured where it is sold).

* Global Needs

A global need is one that is derived from an underserved population in a developing country, often obviating the need for low-cost device solutions.