A reminder to anyone submitting an LOI and full proposal to the NSF Engines Type II solicitation, LOIs are due December 15th, 2022, and full proposals are due January 18, 2023, at 5:00 p.m., submitter’s local time.
An additional reminder – there is a Mandatory evaluation component for NSF Engines. This means that an external independent evaluator must be hired to evaluate each team’s progress objectively. Ideally, applicants will have reached out to an evaluator before proposal preparation to gain insight into how to write the evaluation section within the proposal. When seeking an evaluator, consider the following.
Your external evaluator should
- Be an experienced evaluator or evaluation firm (✓ – We are.);
- Be supportive of the innovation ecosystem and promote inclusive economic growth. (✓ – we totally do.);
- Have experience working in the innovation and startup ecosystem (✓ – we totally do – this is our jam);
- Be committed to creating regional-scale, technology-driven innovation ecosystems throughout every region of the United States, accelerating emerging technologies, driving economic growth, addressing key societal challenges, and maintaining national competitiveness (✓ – We do. );
- Have a working knowledge of all (not just the Innovation Engine program) NSF guidelines, protocols, processes, and evaluation requirements (✓ – We totally do.).
- Have experience evaluating large-scale ecosystem-change projects (✓ – We totally do.);
- Have experience with reporting on project-level outcomes and federally required outcomes (GPRAs) (✓– We do);
Want to talk with us about how we serve as your External Evaluator for the NSF Regional Innovations Engines proposal? Schedule a consult call today. https://calendly.com/ebhoward/15min
We work with high-growth startups and organizations that support the startup and innovation ecosystem. We build highly specific non-dilutive funding menus, provide proposal preparation services, and measure outcomes of funding through evaluation. Schedule a consult call with us HERE.