The SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance (the Alliance) provides an opportunity to South Carolina companies to pursue applied research with a 50% cash match from the SC Department of Commerce. With the goals of addressing business problems with measurable results, driving innovative solutions, leveraging existing research expertise within the state, and making South Carolina companies more competitive on a global stage, the Alliance is here to help advance South Carolina!
If you want to learn more or have more in-depth questions, please reach out to Kelly Baird, Director of the SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance at SC Competes.
FAQs:
Any company with a presence in South Carolina (of any size) can apply for an Alliance-funded project.
There are two funding entities for an Alliance project that split the direct project costs 50/50:
- The company applying for the project
- The SC Department of Commerce
No. The combined funding supports the college/university and Fraunhofer research teams who are conducting the work, while the company benefits from the resulting project outcomes.
The technical aspects of an Alliance project are executed jointly by the project team, which is made up of researchers from a SC college or university and Fraunhofer USA. They execute the following:
- Technical alignment
- Milestones & deliverable tracking
- Communication with all project partners
Each project includes a dedicated Fraunhofer project coordinator to ensure smooth execution.
The SC Competes team manages the overall Alliance program and employs a full-time SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance Director who focuses solely on the success of the program and its projects. This includes:
- Project development
- Contract management
- Oversight of the Review Board
- Typical duration is 6-12 months, but in some cases up to 18 months. The timeline is dictated by the company’s needs and the complexity of the project
- Projects are industry-paced and not bound to academic semester schedules
- Projects typically operate at Technical Readiness Level (TRL) 6 or higher
From initial discussion to project start, around three months is a realistic average. This includes:
- Scoping and team formation
- Formation of project budget
- Presentation to the Alliance Review Board
- Internal review and approval
- Contracting among all partners
The Alliance team is here to help applying companies through the following 5-step application process:
- Client Qualification: Ensure a commercial business presence in South Carolina and be able to invest 50% cash match towards the total project budget.
- Project Qualification: Potential projects are scored based on their ability to: address a clear business or technical need, expand in-state operations for a company, provide measurable improvements to the business or industry sector, increase employment or better utilize existing workforce, and/or bring new research capabilities to South Carolina.
- Project Team & Proposal Development: Alliance team will help coordinate the collaboration between the applying organization, SC college/university researchers and Fraunhofer USA to define goals, milestones, impact, roles, and budget requirements.
- Application Filing & Submission: Alliance team works with the company to complete all application documents, which include a required application narrative, budget, and self-assessment, as well as optional supporting documents. All completed application documents must be submitted to the Director of SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance at SC Competes. Applications must be completed and submitted to SC Competes at least two weeks before a scheduled Review Board Meeting.
- Presentation to the Review Board: Applying companies present the project to the Alliance Review Board with the project team. The Review Board meets approximately every two months to review applications.
No. Project applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so eligible organizations may apply at any time while the program budget remains available.