Industry Partners

National Science Foundation "Partnerships for Innovation"
In 2004, The CUNY Institute for Software Design and Development (CISDD) was awarded a $600,000 "Partnerships for Innovation" (NSF PFI) grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF). The grant included funding of sub-grants to support projects that pair CUNY faculty and graduate students with private sector firms to identify and develop advanced software technologies. In a typical NSF PFI project, a faculty member and graduate student employ research-centered computer science expertise to develop an enhancement or module relating to the applicant firm's existing technology platform. Over the course of the grant, CISDD has been working to find synergies and long-term partnerships with software firms in the NYC region to create fundable project proposals that could also attract federal and state grants. CISDD has partnered with the New York Software Industry Association (NYSIA), the Industrial and Technology Assistance Corporation (ITAC), and other industry organizations to identify potential partnerships.

Evaluation Criteria for Sub-Grants
Scope: Projects must be limited in scope and duration. The short-term achievability of a project will be a decisive factor in the evaluation of applications. Prior experience with university projects is helpful, but not required. A typical project within the confines of this grant would require about 500 hours of architecture and development time.

Technology: The soundness of an applicant firm's existing technology will be considered, as well as the relative interest to CUNY faculty of the proposed intellectual property to be created. The applicant firm should be able to differentiate the proposed project from existing products in the market. Although all software technologies may be considered, projects related to imaging and visualization, computer security, algorithm design, and software engineering are of particular interest.

Commerciality: Applicant firms should be able to demonstrate the ability to bring a finished product or enhancement to the marketplace within one year of the project's close. Sub-grantees must be willing to enter into a limited royalty or matching fund agreement with CISDD. Additional information required will include annual revenues, number of full-time employees, and the potential ability for the project to enhance job creation.

For more information on the PFI program, contact Kara Heffernan at kara.heffernan@mail.cuny.edu.