Type to search

Featured

P.R. Science Trust restarts call for $2.5M grants program

Under the motto “Funds to grow,” the Puerto Rico Science, Technology and Research Trust opened the call for two grant programs with $2.5 million available to boost the economy based on innovation, science and technology.

This amount is added to the more than $6 million that the Science Trust has awarded in the last three years for science and technology projects benefiting more than 100 local researchers, the nonprofit’s officials said.

The Advanced Research Grant fund (formerly RFP Grant) awards $150,000 and promotes cutting-edge research for various areas of science and technology. The Catalyzer Research Grant fund (formerly Small Research Grant) awards $70,000 to provide a first boost to scientists and help local researchers increase their chances of obtaining federal or private funds for their Research and Development proposals. Each proposal is evaluated by experts who have academic, scientific and technological expertise.

The deadline to submit the participation for these grants is Nov. 7, 2018.

“We wanted to give the program its own image with a focus and message as innovative as the projects we impact,” said Andreica Maldonado, grants program manager.

“Our goal is to reach a segment of scientists and entrepreneurs who find relevance in our program under the new slogan ‘Funds to grow’,” she said.

“This way, we advance the mission of the Trust to invest, facilitate and promote the capabilities of local researchers to turn Puerto Rico into a recognized center of innovation worldwide as well as develop, attract and retain scientists, new technology entrepreneurs, and companies to unleash a world-class competitive creativity,” Maldonado said.

Program funds have allowed to promote and develop research in the strategic sectors of biotechnology and natural sciences, renewable energy and/or clean technologies, aerospace, information technology and communications, medical devices, electronics, agriculture and environmental sciences, have offered research opportunities/economic support and have generated intellectual property, companies and patents.

“The Research Grants program is one of the strategic areas that serves as a catalyst for R&D to become a source of income for the island; and highlights our human resource in living sciences,” said Science Trust CEO Lucy Crespo.

“The results of this program have been measured with solid impacts and have allowed many researchers to move up,” said Crespo.

Among the program’s results are: about $5 million in additional funds obtained by researchers, 462 applications, 51 grants awarded, 24 direct jobs created, 127 students impacted, 23 peer-reviewed publications, 100 abstracts and presentations, seven patents submitted, six companies established, and 24 proposals submitted to the National Institute of Health’s Small Business Innovation Research program and the Small Business Technology Transfer program.

Author Details
Author Details
This story was written by our staff based on a press release.
Tags:

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *