Now Accepting Project Proposals!
The South Carolina Department of Commerce has made significant funding available to match SC-based private sector funding for applied research projects including South Carolina’s colleges & universities and Fraunhofer USA to promote research that improves the competitiveness of South Carolina companies and results in a positive economic impact within the state.
Project Application Process
1. SC Fraunhofer USA Alliance Interest Form: Are you a SC-based organization with an applied research idea? Start by completing the Interest Form below, and our Alliance team will contact you to begin the project development process. If you have a more complete project proposal idea, you can reach out directly to Kelly Baird (kbaird@sccompetes.org) or Marcel Schaefer (mschaefer@fraunhofer.org) to begin the application process. Our team will review the project criteria, help you establish project partners, and offer overall application assistance.
2. Application Information Packet: All applicants are required to read and acknowledge the Alliance Application Information Package which includes descriptions of process, eligibility, requirements, intellectual property (IP) rights, liability, warranties, and indemnifications.
Download Information Packet
3. Project Team & Proposal Development: Confer with your Project Team consisting of Fraunhofer and SC University researchers to reach a consensus on Project Goals & Milestones, Impact, Respective Roles, and Budget Requirements.
4. Download All Required Documents: Applications must include ALL of the completed documents. When you click the hyperlinked templates below, the Microsoft Word and Excel documents will automatically download to your device, while the Adobe PDF will open in a new window for you to download. All completed documents should be uploaded in the format noted within the application (same format as the download: PDF, Word, or Excel).
- University Authorization Form (PDF) Effective 1/1/2026
- Project Budget Template (Excel) Effective 1/1/2026
- Application Narrative (Word) or Application Narrative (PDF) Effective 1/1/2026
- Project Assessment, Client Portion (Excel) Effective 1/1/2026
5. Application Filing & Submissions: Click the Apply button below to fill in the application and upload the required documents. The Alliance team can help with preparing, finalizing, and completing your application. In the case of a University (PI) application, all applications must receive institutional review and approval prior to submission. SC Competes advises users to complete the application in Google Chrome.
6. Post Application Submission Presentation to Review Board: The submitted application will be presented to the Alliance Advisory Board for evaluation and funding decision. Applications/Projects are reviewed on a rolling basis and a decision is usually made within 4-8 weeks of application submission. The company agrees to have their project (and project team logos) including a title (of the company’s preference) posted on the SC Competes webpage.