FY27 Innovation: Ideation to Commercialization (IIC)
Call for Proposals - FY27 Innovation:
Ideation to Commercialization (IIC) Program
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Southwest Virginia Node seeks proposals to support startup company formation and to further commercialization of cybersecurity technologies.
Objective
The Commonwealth Cyber Initiative (CCI) serves as an engine for research, workforce development, and innovation at the intersection between cybersecurity, autonomous systems, and intelligence. In support of the innovation mission line, the Southwest Virginia node of CCI (CCI SWVA) will consider proposals seeking to establish or make progress towards establishing a startup company featuring cybersecurity technology in Southwest Virginia.
Innovation Aims
This program seeks to enable the formation of startup companies for commercialization of cybersecurity technologies, thereby fueling the cybersecurity innovation ecosystem in Southwest Virginia. Awards are intended for active and immediate pursuit of technology commercialization rather than research activities. CCI SWVA will consider at most one application per principal investigator for each of two Tracks, outlined below.
Track 1: Teams that have a technology or product in an advanced state of commercial readiness are invited to propose to Track 1 of this program for awards not to exceed $50,000 divided into two periods (base and option). The $25,000 base period award is intended to support administrative and regulatory efforts associated with the establishment of a new legal entity for a startup (such as an LLC or corporation) OR filing a provisional patent application for the technology by the midpoint of the program (June 30, 2027). Pending successful registration of a new legal entity or filing in the USPTO of a provisional patent application, an option period of an additional 6 months and $25,000 will be authorized for additional commercial activities including customer discovery and market research to support development of a preliminary go-to-market strategy by December 31, 2027.
Track 2: The process of transitioning technology from a basic, fundamental capability to a market-ready product can feel daunting and arduous. To that end, teams that are not yet ready to commit to establishing a startup business are invited to apply to Track 2 for an award of $10,000 to explore commercial viability of existing cybersecurity technologies over a period not to exceed six months (ending June 30, 2027). Through partnership with VT Launch, teams will create a plan of activity to advance commercialization by applying to a NSF I-Corps Mid-Atlantic Hub Regional Short Course (or equivalent) or perform market research activities including a technological novelty assessment.
Proposals will only be considered for the submitted track; teams are encouraged carefully to consider commercial readiness before proposing to Track 1.
Ideal Outcomes
Ideal outcomes for Track 1 are A) establishing a legal entity to commercialize cybersecurity technology in SWVA, B) developing a go-to-market strategy to further technology commercialization, and C) securing continuation funding for the newly founded corporation.
An ideal outcome for Track 2 is development of an application strategy for a subsequent NSF I-Corps Regional Short Course, completion of market research activities, or investigation of technological novelty to improve team insight of the potential commercial opportunity and to enable the decision on next steps. These activities may result in the team concluding that the commercial potential does not warrant organizing around the creation of a startup to develop the technology, or may result in the need for additional exploration and refinement of a commercial opportunity, or may result in the formal planning for formation of a startup to commercialize the technology.
Eligibility
The principal investigator (PI) must be from a public institution of higher education in the CCI SWVA Network (https://cyberinitiative-swva.org/about.html) and must be deemed eligible by their home institution to serve as a PI on an external grant. Only one application per PI will be considered for each track, while an investigator may contribute to any number of proposals. There is no requirement to include multiple CCI institutions.
Awards
CCI SWVA will reimburse costs for eligible expenses incurred during the period of performance up to the award amount. Anticipated awards for Track 1 will not exceed $50,000 ($25,000 base + $25,000 option) while awards for Track 2 will not exceed $10,000. Funds may be utilized for labor in pursuit of commercialization (payment and fringe costs for researchers, administrative or professional faculty, postdoctoral associates, and graduate or undergraduate students), travel, supplies, or other costs associated with incorporating or filing a patent. Indirect (F&A) costs or funding to private colleges or institutions outside Virginia are not allowed.
Period of Performance
Awards will commence starting January 1, 2027, and run through June 30, 2027. Pending successful incorporation of a legal entity or provisional patent filing, CCI SWVA will authorize Track 1 awards for an additional 6 months to end no later than December 31, 2027.
This program is designed to support outcomes in the current fiscal year ending June 30; as such, no-cost extensions will not be approved barring extreme extenuating circumstances.
Summary of FY27 IIC Tracks 1 and 2
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Reporting Requirements
During the May-June timeframe and for the following three (3) years, all faculty supported by this award are expected to report commercialization successes, external funding attracted, and other positive outcomes that arise due to this seed funding. This report will require completion of a prompted questionnaire provided by CCI SWVA.
Within 30 days of the end of the period of performance, awardees must submit a final technical report comparing the achievements of the project to the proposed goals. This report will require completion of a separate prompted questionnaire provided by CCI SWVA.
Lastly, a final accounting statement detailing all transactions inception-to-date must be delivered to CCI SWVA no more than 90 days after the period of performance concludes.
Proposal Format
Proposals must use 1-inch margins, 12-point font, and adhere to the following outline:
Title page (1 page)
Title of proposed product
250-word lay summary cleared for public dissemination, emphasizing the cybersecurity component of the proposed work
Names of faculty team members
Contact information for PI and any Co-PIs including unit, title, and email address
Total amount requested
Project plan (1-3 pages)
Track 1:
Outline of the use case (what problem your technology solves) and relevant stakeholders
Brief description of the technology to a nontechnical audience, emphasizing the cybersecurity component in alignment with the CCI mission
Summary of any past commercialization activities and lessons learned
Description of the primary challenges in commercialization of the technology, as presently identified
Definition of specific, achievable commercialization milestones and associated timelines
Plan for staffing of continued business operation, including who will be involved and how
References (references do not count against the page limit)
Track 2:
Brief description of the technology to a nontechnical audience, emphasizing the cybersecurity component in alignment with the CCI mission
Summary of any team commercialization experience and lessons learned
Description of the expected capacity (people, time) to engage in the Track 2 activities over the 6 month period of performance
Summary of the motivation for applying for Track 2
References (references do not count against the page limit)
Optional letters of support (0-2 pages)
No more than 2 optional letters of support
Letters might include institutional IP offices validating university commercialization expectations will be met, or stakeholders validating commercial merit claims.
Budget (1-2 pages)
Budget justification clarifying how the funding will be deployed to achieve the relevant Track commercialization objectives
Budget spreadsheet with cost breakdown
As a reminder, these funds are intended to support commercialization, not simply advance research.
Include travel to 1-2 domestic CCI SWVA meetings each year (April & October).
No indirect costs are allowed.
Institutions with an office of sponsored programs must secure that office’s approval of the budget.
Collaborators from outside Virginia or at private institutions may contribute to commercialization efforts, however such collaborators may not receive any CCI funding.
Resume, CV, or NSF-format Biographical Sketch
Up to 3 pages each for PI and any Co-PIs
No particular format is required
Current and pending support for PI and any Co-PIs
Title
Status of Support: Current, Pending, Planned, or Transfer of Support
Source of Support
Project/Proposal Start and End Dates (MM/YYYY) if available
Total Award Amount (including Indirect Costs)
No particular format is required.
Evaluation Criteria
Format-conforming proposals featuring cybersecurity (or cyber-adjacent) technology (see https://cyberinitiative-swva.org/research/research-areas.html) will be evaluated according to the following criteria:
Commercial Merit
(15%) Clearly defined problem/unmet need, including potential stakeholders
(10%) Identification of prospective continuation funding (both NSF-NIH and non-NSF/NIH)
(15%) Business use case: how does the product to be commercialized address the defined problem/unmet need
Alignment and Qualifications
(10%) Prior experience or success with commercialization (this technology or others)
(10%) For Track 1, documented progress towards commercialization, including data or prototype functionality, or competitive advantage: IP protection, patents, etc. For Track 2, motivation to progress toward commercialization
(20%) Past performance on CCI SWVA awards and participation at CCI SWVA events
Researchers new to CCI SWVA will be evaluated as fully compliant.
Impact of Funding
(10%) Proposed milestones are clearly defined to incrementally advance commercialization outcomes
(10%) Funding is appropriately aligned with proposed milestones and objectives
Proposal Submission
Proposals must be submitted to CCI SWVA PM Madison Boswell (cyber@vt.edu) with subject line “FY27 IIC proposal submission” by the PI institution’s Office of Sponsored Programs or other delegated authority no later than 5:00 pm EST on Friday, December 4, 2026.
All proposal packages must be submitted as a single PDF document labeled “FY27_IIC_Track#_PIlastname_PIfirstname(_OptionalUniqueID).pdf” The “OptionalUniqueID” may be the Summit Proposals identifier or another system utilized by your institution to track proposals.
Submissions will be acknowledged by email response from CCI SWVA and are not considered successfully submitted until acknowledgment is received. Please contact CCI SWVA if you have not received acknowledgement within one business day of initial submission.
Please note that the sponsor for this call for proposals is Commonwealth Cyber Initiative Southwest Virginia (CCI SWVA), a Node of CCI distinct from the statewide CCI “Hub.” Please work with your proposal teams to ensure that CCI SWVA is properly identified as the sponsor.
Virginia Tech researchers should select CCI SWVA as the sponsor organization in Summit Proposals and should begin submission well in advance of the final deadline per OSP’s Procedure 20002, requiring that all proposal documents be received by OSP as “ready to submit” 5 business days prior to the sponsor deadline (7 business days if including a subaward or collaboration with another university). Due to the Thanksgiving holiday, proposals should therefore be initiated in Summit Proposals no later than November 16, 2026.