The National Research Foundation Proof-of-Concept Grant Call

About the NRF POC Grant

The NRF POC grant scheme provides funding for proof-of-concept development to researchers in the institutions of higher learning (IHLs), so as to facilitate the commercialisation of technologies developed in the IHLs.

The NRF POC grant will be awarded through a competitive application process to support projects which are technically proven and have potential for commercially viability. The grant will go towards supporting the R&D costs related to the development in a proof-of-concept project. The development work must be conducted in the IHLs, and should yield results pertaining to viability for commercialisation.

Successful applicants will receive up to S$250,000 for their project, which should last no more than 1 year. The actual amount awarded will depend on the extent of work to be carried out.

Download POC Application Guidelines v4.0 (updated 13 May 2011).
NRF Press release, 15 Sep 2008

Assessment and Selection Criteria

Assessment will entail a first selection by IHL panel of reviewers from NUS Enterprise and the Division for Research Administration of the Office of Deputy President (Research & Technology).

See criteria for IHL panel evaluation.

The final selection will be made by a panel of POC reviewers selected by the NRF. Shorlisted applicants will likely be asked to make a presentation before the NRF POC panel.

See critera for NRF POC Panel evaluation.

How to apply?

You would be required to first submit a pre-proposal online via the Enterprise POC Online Pre-Proposal System (E-POPS) to enable IHL panel evaluation, using the template below.

Download template for pre-proposal (updated 13 May 2011)
Download the Step-by-Step Instructions to accessing E-POPS.

Successful pre-proposal applicants may proceed to submit their full proposals online via the RITA system. Please take note of the instructions stated in the NRF POC Application Guidelines 3.0 when filling in the online RITA application form.

Industry Feedback Form to be sent to NRF directly by the endorser in confidence.

Download the template for full proposal (updated 22 Dec 2011)
Download example of completed full proposal.

Important Dates for the 7th POC Grant Call
28 December 2011 (Wednesday), 9:00 AM - E-POPS opens
11 January 2012 (Wednesday), 6:00 PM - E-POPS closes (i.e. Deadline for pre-proposal submission through E-POPS)
27 January 2012 (Friday) - Notification of pre-proposal review outcomes
2 March 2012 (Friday), 1:00 PM - RITA closes (Grant Endorsement Form is to be submitted to NUS Enterprise within 1 week from this date)
May 2012 - Shortlisted full proposal applicants to present before NRF panel
June 2012 - Announcement by NRF of awarded proposals

Past Awardees

NRF POC 1st Grant Call (Sep 2008)
NRF POC 2nd Grant Call (Mar 2009)
NRF POC 3rd Grant Call (Feb 2010)
NRF POC 4th Grant Call (May 2010)
NRF POC 5th Grant Call (Nov 2010)
NRF POC 6th Grant Call (Nov 2011)

Downloads

1. NRF POC Application Guidelines v4.0(updated 13 May 2011)
2. Criteria for IHL panel evaluation
3. Critera for NRF Panel evaluation
4. Pre-proposal template (updated 13 May 2011)
5. Full proposal template (updated 13 May 2011)
6. Example of completed full proposal
7. Endorsement form (for endorsement by HoD and VDR)
8. Slides for POC Roadshow held on 6 June 2011 (new)

 

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