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.
FY2025 Deadlines:
Cycle 1
Wednesday, September 11, 2024 (noon)
Cycle 2
Wednesday, December 4, 2024 (noon)
Cycle 3
Wednesday, March 19, 2025 (noon)
The Cycle 2 solicitation is open to research proposals focused on topics related to sleep, hibernation, and the effects of space travel and micro- or reduced gravity on biological processes, except Class 1 medical devices, consumer products, and/or mobile apps.
At the time of submission, the Principal Investigator (PI) must hold a full-time, tenure-track, or tenured faculty appointment, or an appointment as permanent, full-time, clinical or research faculty at the applicant institution or hold an equivalent position.