Research

Matching Grants Research Program

From the outset, the Florida High Tech Corridor Council’s (FHTCC) primary focus has been to foster applied research between Corridor universities and their high tech industry partners. Every year, dozens of companies across the 23-county Corridor participate in the Matching Grants Research Program to develop commercially applicable emerging technologies.

Dr. Dennis Steindler“When we needed matching funds for an SBIR project with the Air Force, FHTCC came to our rescue. We owe the establishment of our company to the Matching Grants Research Program for getting us our first contract.”

Antoine Khoury, CEO, ApECOR
Matching Grants Research Program
Industry Partner

Since the inception of the program in 1996, the Council has partnered with 350 companies on more than 1,100 research projects in sectors ranging from Agritechnology to Sustainable Energy.

The nearly $55 million in funds that have been invested by the Council have been matched by corporate cash and in-kind investments that have generated an additional $730 million in quantifiable downstream impacts, resulting in a combined economic impact of $1.3 billion dollars.


How to Participate

FHTCC’s Matching Grants Research Program is managed on the three university campuses by a committee of university researchers and Council partners. The committees review and approve proposals on a year-round basis.

Begin by connecting with a university faculty member to conduct the research project or an industry partner whose work focuses on a related area of research. The industry partner will provide a 2-to-1 match in most cases. Review the criteria specific to each university below for the application procedures.

To learn more about the MGRP process and guidelines at each of the Corridor universities, please select your partner from the tabs below.

University of Central Florida Matching Grants Research Program

FHTCC funds for UCF will be designated for three programs:

  • The Open Call
  • The Annual Competitive program
  • The SBIR/STTR program Phase II Industry External Investment program

SBIR, or Small Business Innovation Research, is government funding targeted explicitly for small businesses for research of any type. STTR, or Small Business Technology Transfer program, is also government funding, but to be eligible a small business must team up with a federal lab or a university/college.

It is estimated that 15-30 awards will be issued, and the award sizes are anticipated to range from $20,000 to $100,000. The annual competitive program grant requires that for every $2 in FHTCC matching research funds, a corporation provides $3. The Open Call requires that for every $1 of FHTCC matching funds, a corporation provides at least $2. FHTCC is also proud to advise that companies can use these resources to leverage funds from the federal SBIR program.

For more specific information regarding UCF’s Matching Grants Research Program please visit the UCF Office of Research.

For questions contact:

University of Central Florida
Office of Research
Dr. Tom O’Neal
Associate Vice President for Research
(407) 823-3778
oneal@mail.ucf.edu

University of South Florida Matching Grants Research Program

FHTCC funds for the University of South Florida will be designated for projects accepted under a General Solicitation program. 

This program is designed to assist Florida-based companies in leveraging research collaborations between targeted industries and the University of South Florida.  It is estimated that 20-40 awards will be issued, and the award sizes are anticipated to range from $10,000 to $150,000.  There is no due date for this program and all proposals are evaluated until all annual funds are fully committed. 

For more specific information regarding USF’s Matching Grants Research Program, please visit the USF Office of Technology Development.

For questions contact: 

USF CONNECT – University of South Florida
Rod Casto
(813) 974-1082
matchinggrants@research.usf.edu

University of Florida Matching Grants Research Program

The University of Florida has established two FHTCC Matching Grants Research Program areas:

  • The General Solicitation targeted to companies of all sizes in the Corridor
  • The SBIR/STTR Phase II Solicitation for companies in the Corridor of less than 500 employees who are recipients of an SBIR or STTR Phase I award.

Both program areas are specifically designed to expand the research activities of an FHTCC industry partner in the Corridor by providing matching funds to leverage research collaborations between targeted industries within the Corridor and UF.

For more specific information regarding UF’s Matching Grants Research Program please visit the FHTCC section of the UF Website.

For questions contact:

University of Florida
Erik Sander
(352) 392-6000
esander@ufl.edu


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