The Flash Grant program identifies and energizes creative ideas that exhibit early indications of exceptional commercial potential. Like a flash of inspiration, flash grants infuse a quick jolt of funding at a critical early point when a small, targeted influx of funds is crucial to shaping innovative research ideas into high-potential life sciences technologies.
Flash grants support short, tightly-focused research projects in these two categories:
- To obtain initial exploratory, proof-of-concept, or feasibility data necessary to suggest the disruptive potential of a life sciences technology
- To conduct the final experiment(s) needed to advance a basic life sciences research program into the translational research phase of development
These micro-grants provide funding for projects that ultimately generate follow-on funding, intellectual property filings, licenses, and startup company formation; however, the projects are too early for traditional grant funding mechanisms.
Funds are available to researchers at any North Carolina university or non-profit research institute.
FY2024 Deadlines:
Cycle 1
Wednesday, September 13, 2023 (noon)
Cycle 2
Wednesday, December 6, 2023 (noon)
Cycle 3
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 (noon)