The Oregon BEST Proposal Matching Program is intended to assist Oregon BEST Member Faculty and research teams to win funding for research grants/contracts, research equipment acquisition, and product development/commercialization from federal and private sources.

The proposed use of Oregon BEST matching funds can be mostly at the discretion of the Principal Investigator (PI), and ideally provides support of activities that strengthen the competitiveness of the proposal that might be difficult to fund with the primary funding agency's funds. The funds must be used to strengthen the PI's (and PI's institution) research capacity and long-term competitiveness.

In most cases, a maximum of $200,000 will be committed to a single project. (Download list of Proposal Matching Funds awarded.)

Campus agreement to “backstop” the matching requirement in the event Oregon BEST funds are exhausted is required.

To ensure that there is good alignment with Oregon BEST focus areas, to strengthen relationships with faculty, and to provide more insights about research discoveries that may yield future commercialization opportunities, each proposal match request will be reviewed by one of the Oregon BEST program managers.

Eligibility

The qualification requirements for proposals which are submitted for a proposal match from Oregon BEST are as follows:

• One or more of the Principal Investigators must be an Oregon BEST Member Faculty.
• The research topic must be well-aligned with Oregon BEST’s clean technology focus. 
• Cost share must be a requirement of the RFP/solicitation or be explicitly listed as being viewed favorably in the evaluation criteria.  Exceptions will be considered if there is evidence that cost share will make the proposal more competitive. 

In addition, proposals must meet at least one of the following two requirements:

• Proposal includes an industry collaborator directly involved in the project.
• Project includes development of intellectual property with a clear path to commercialization (with a statement from your university tech transfer office stating so).

Other factors that would make a match request even stronger would include:

• Proposal is for a multi-year national center project.
• The proposal development included participation of an Oregon BEST staff member or Oregon BEST helped organize the proposal team.

Application Process

Principal Investigator(s) must be Oregon BEST Member Faculty (registration information here) and submit proposals for matching considerations at least three weeks prior to submission deadline for the final proposal. Oregon BEST may not be able to respond to later requests.

To apply for an Oregon BEST Proposal Match, please complete the online application.

At the time of filling out the online application form, please submit a draft proposal (including a description of how the requested matching funds will be used) to the Oregon BEST Executive Director at: david.kenney (at) oregonbest.org.

Before filling out the online application, make sure to have the following information readily available:

• Proposal draft for this project
• Project budget information, including other sources of funding and amount of matching funds being requested from Oregon BEST
• Estimated probability of funding
• Estimated cash flow timing
• Backstop agreement from participating campuses
• Information about what documentation (e.g. commitment letter) is needed from Oregon BEST.

Review Process

• Requests will be reviewed by the relevant technical manager and the Oregon BEST Executive Director who oversees any necessary revisions and makes recommendations for matching commitments to the Oregon BEST Research Committee.
• The Oregon BEST Executive Director and the Research Committee will review and approve requests on a rolling basis through meetings, e-mail exchanges, and/or conference calls.
• Notice of Oregon BEST matching commitment will be given to the PI(s) prior to final proposal submission to allow adequate time for institutional review, approval of final proposals and associated budget detail, and provision of a support/commitment letter from Oregon BEST (if requested).
• Upon notification from the PI(s) that a proposal has been funded, Oregon BEST will execute the necessary contracts/statements of work with the university research office to enable the flow and tracking of funds.

Program Manager Outreach

Depending on the technology focus area of the proposal, the match request will be shared with one or more Oregon BEST program managers.  The program managers are encouraged to connect with the research faculty to learn more about the proposed project and the targeted funder and to recommend potential collaborations or commercialization strategies that may help to strengthen the proposal or the ultimate project.

Reporting

By accepting proposal matching funds from Oregon BEST, the PI and recipient university(ies) agree to the following:

• On a quarterly basis during the grant period, the PI(s) must provide a brief progress report, and, at the end of the grant period, the PI(s) must provide a copy of the final technical and financial reports made to the primary funding agency.
• The PI(s) and university must provide payroll information to Oregon BEST each quarter related to the number of full or part-time positions created or retained by proposal match funding for Oregon BEST to report to the Oregon Business Development Department and Oregon Innovation Council, and potentially other entities.
• In addition, a final assessment of project performance relative to Oregon BEST objectives must be submitted.
• All such documentation shall be provided to Oregon BEST in a timely fashion, typically within 30 days of the end of the reporting period.