Application Resources

Eligibility

HealthAdvance solicits full applications by invitation only.  Please review the Pre-Qualification Application eligibility criteria before contacting your Licensing Manager.

One of the principal objectives of Rutgers Optimizes Innovation (ROI) in awarding commercialization funding through HealthAdvance is to assist the development of very early stage life science technologies and make them more attractive for continued follow-on investments from industry partners and external investors.  Therefore, please note that technologies licensed and/or optioned to outside stakeholders/entities will not be considered for HealthAdvance funding at present.

As a part of the ROI initiative, all members of Rutgers community are strongly encouraged to utilize the learning and enrichment resources made available through the ROI program to aid and enhance the innovation culture at the university.

Pre-Qualification Applications may only be submitted through the Licensing Managers to the program on a rolling basis, throughout the year.

 

Selection Process for Full Application Invitations

HealthAdvance team reviews all properly completed Pre-Qualification Applications, submitted by the Licensing Managers, within 14 days of submission to the program.

Pre-Qualification Application reviews are conducted by HealthAdvance, in consultation with the Research Commercialization team, based on a technology’s market potential, readiness/ stage of development, and existing funding status among other considerations.

Academic technologies invariably lie across a spectrum of commercialization with respect to their development stage. HealthAdvance currently refers to the Technology Readiness Levels (TRLs) worksheet as recommended by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to assign a TRL value to each individual submission.

For additional questions regarding the eligibility criteria and selection process for inviting full applications, please contact us

 

Sample Qualification Application Forms

Sample forms for a full application to HealthAdvance can be viewed by clicking on each of the individual form links below:

HealthAdvance requires all Applicant Innovators to obtain IACUC/IRB approvals before an application can be considered for funding.

For a complete list of requirements for a complete application to HealthAdvance, please refer to the Application Checklist under the Applicant Innovator Guidelines.

 

Innovator Guidelines for a Full HealthAdvance Application

HealthAdvance invites full application submission based on the Pre-Qualification Applications submitted to the program by the Licensing Managers on behalf of the Innovators.

  • Before starting any work related to HealthAdvance, please acquaint yourself with the HealthAdvance application process, timeline, forms and frequently asked questions posted on the program website.
  • Note that once you submit the filled-out Pre-Qualification form, the clock starts ticking on the process of preparing and submitting your full applications as well as the review process of that application. Please make sure that you, and your team, have the necessary availability over the next 90 days, to engage with the process.
  • Note that your responses in the Application Forms should use Calibri font size 11, and the responses to questions 1-14 in the Application Form A should not exceed 12 pages.
  • Be precise and concise.  It is imperative that you address the questions directly as being asked, and NOT include tangential information.
  • Applicant Innovators are required to submit their full applications within 45 days of the email notification from HealthAdvance inviting them to apply for funding.  Incomplete or late submissions will result in delayed review and funding decision and may render an applicant ineligible for future HealthAdvance funding.
  • All our external associates, including MIRs, are paid consultants engaged for the sole purpose of assisting their matched Innovator teams to craft as compelling proposals as possible with a focus on bringing their technology to the market.

Innovators who abandon their application after the Collaboration Kickoff meeting with MIR may be ineligible for future funding opportunities through HealthAdvance.

Therefore, we strongly encourage all potential applicants to ensure their availability and that of all the team members who will work with the MIR during the application preparation (45 days), application review and response (30 + 30 days).

HealthAdvance requires at least one in-person interaction between the Innovator(s) and the MIR and strongly encourages as much in-person interaction between the Innovator(s) and the MIR as possible.  Innovator(s) will include (cc/forward) the HealthAdvance Manager on all communications with their MIR.   Innovator(s) are encouraged to contact the HealthAdvance team with any concerns regarding their interaction with the MIR.

  • Applicant Innovators can seek up to $100,000 annually for up to 2 years. While the Notice of Award will state the total amount in approved funds, the funds will be released in batches and subject to the achievement of milestones as proposed by the applicant team in their submissions to HealthAdvance.

Successful applicants will receive detailed information about the RAPSS account set-up, funds release structure and progress reporting requirements when the “Notice of Award” letter is issued by HealthAdvance.

  • Submitting Your HealthAdvance Full Application

Your application package should be submitted via email with the subject line: “HealthAdvance Application_LeadInnovatorLastName” to: healthadvance-manager@ored.rutgers.edu.  

Please convert your duly filled Application Forms – Section A and B to a single PDF file without altering the primary structure and content of the forms. Please use the budget template, the business pitch slide deck template and the Gantt Chart template provided by HealthAdvance for your application.

  • Application Review:  HealthAdvance uses three external reviewers to evaluate the strength of the submitted applications.  The reviewers’ identities are confidential and will remain so to ensure a fair and unbiased assessment of all submissions. 

Innovators will have the opportunity to address any questions or concerns raised by the reviewers in their evaluations.  Innovators can seek help from their MIRs to respond to the reviewers and send their responses to the HealthAdvance Manager within 15 days of “Review Response Requested” notification sent by HealthAdvance to the Innovators.

  • NIH Submission and Funding Decision:  The decision on whether an application will be chosen for submission to the NIH is made collectively by the HealthAdvance team and the Executive Committee of the Rutgers Optimizes Innovation (ROI) program, considering the reviewers’ recommendations. 

While the NIH Technology Guidance Committee (TGC) will provide feedback on each submitted application, the ROI Executive Committee will make the final decision on all applications with due consideration to all review elements and the NIH recommendations.

 

Process and Timeline

While HealthAdvance accepts Pre-Qualification Applications on a rolling basis throughout the year, the invited applications follow a structured lifetime.  Once invited to submit a Full HealthAdvance Application, the clock starts ticking on the subsequent events as outlined below.  The processing time indicated next to each event is in calendar days.

HealthAdvance Process Timeline Graphic Representation with Days

 

 

 

HealthAdvance Applicant

Innovator Checklist

A Full HealthAdvance Application includes the following required documents.  In support of their applications, Innovators may submit more supporting documents if those materials provide substantial additional information in support of their main application.

  1. HealthAdvance Application Form: Section A 
  2. HealthAdvance Application Form: Section B 
  3. Budget form with Justification
  4. Institutional Compliance Documentation
  5. Business Pitch Slide Deck