SCIENCE/TECHNOLOGY : Commerce Dept. to Offer High-Tech Firms Millions in Research Grants

A Commerce Department official visited Orange County this week to tell high-tech entrepreneurs that the department will award $20 million to $25 million this year for basic research under its Advanced Technology Program.

James Lacy, the department’s chief counsel for technology, told a group of company representatives in Newport Beach that the deadline for applying for the grants is Sept. 25. Awards could range up to $2 million per company over a three-year period.

The awards are aimed at funding laboratory research until it reaches the competitive stage where it can be used in a commercial product. Any business is eligible to apply for the awards, though an applicant must demonstrate that its research would promote U.S. economic growth.

Lacy said the department is looking for researchers that have technically difficult but promising projects. Applicants are judged on scientific merit, the potential broad-based benefits of the research, potential commercial uses, experience and qualifications of the applicant, and the proposer’s level of commitment to the task.

This is the second year for the program, which is aimed at fostering long-term, high-tech research in the the United States. The program awarded $9.1 million in grants last year.