KYNETIC
Supporting health-related technology development at Kentucky's public universities and colleges
The KYNETIC (Kentucky Network for Innovation & Commercialization) grant program supports faculty, staff, trainees and students who want to accelerate introduction of their groundbreaking innovations to the marketplace to address unmet needs to benefit human health.
KYNETIC does this by:
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Allocating funding (up to $200,000/technology) for product definition studies (e.g. feasibility studies, prototype development or proof-of-concept studies)
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Providing access to early-stage development expertise and mentorship
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Offering hands-on skills development in entrepreneurism
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Accelerating development of commercialization strategies
Eligible KYNETIC technologies must originate from a participating university or community/technical college in Kentucky and focus on healthcare-related products. See the "application process" and "FAQs" sections below for more information on qualifying technologies.
The KYNETIC program is funded in part through the National Institute of Health’s (NIH) Research Evaluation and Commercialization Hub (REACH) program. The goal of the program is to support proof-of-concept centers (hubs) that facilitate and accelerate the translation of biomedical innovations into commercial products that improve patient care and enhance health.
The KYNETIC hub is led by the University of Kentucky (UK), University of Louisville (UofL), the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development, and Kentucky Commercialization Ventures (KCV). The long-term goals of the program are to foster commercialization success, economic development and entrepreneurial culture change throughout Kentucky.
KYNETIC Application Process
KYNETIC is a competitive grant program, focused on product development to address unmet needs to benefit human health. Any member of the participating institutions in Kentucky is allowed to apply by submitting a short pre-application. Pre-applications will be reviewed as described below and the most promising will be invited to submit a full application.
SCIENTIFIC AND COMMERCIALIZATION REVIEW OF PRE-APPLICATIONS
Responsive pre-applications will be reviewed based on various criteria, including scientific merit, unmet need, human health benefit and relevance, intellectual property (IP) position, market potential, time to market and KYNETIC portfolio diversity.
Pre-application reviewers will include faculty with scientific, clinical, and/or entrepreneurship expertise, plus technology commercialization staff who will assess patentability and commercialization potential.
All applicants who submit a pre-application will be notified of the outcome (invited or not invited to present to the review panel) and will receive feedback on their application.
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Applications for the program are not currently being accepted. Check back soon for details on Cycle 9!
Pre-Application Materials:
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NEXT STEPS
Those who submit a pre-application and are invited to formally apply will receive further instructions regarding preparation of the oral presentation.
Those who were not invited to formally apply will receive a brief description of why their pre-application was not selected and will be encouraged to meet with KYNETIC hub staff to discuss the possibility of resubmission.
Preparation of application and oral presentation will involve additional training in research commercialization and working with mentors to create a detailed product development plan.
While a research disclosure/invention report form is not required to submit a pre-application, completion of this form will be required prior to full proposal submission. Final funding decisions will be made following review by the KYNETIC External Review Board (ERB) and the NIH Technology Guidance Committee (TGC).
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For any questions or to submit a pre-application, send an email to kynetic@louisville.edu and kynetic@uky.edu.
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Why is KYNETIC different from other grant programs?The KYNETIC program is not a traditional grant program; it is product-focused, milestone driven and requires business-case project management. Applicants who are invited to submit a full application will work with KYNETIC staff and/or mentors to develop a product development plan and timeline with specified milestones.
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What benchmarks will I have to meet in the program?Receipt of funding for selected projects will be milestone-driven and KYNETIC staff will monitor development progress. There will be a continuation evaluation (go/no-go decision) every six months and non-progressing projects may be terminated and replaced with new projects.
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Who is eligible for the KYNETIC program?This RFA is open to all faculty, staff, trainees, and students at participating Kentucky state universities and community colleges. Non-faculty applicants must identify a faculty member who is willing to sponsor their application. Applications must focus on developing products that have the potential to improve patient care or enhance human health. All types of products (e.g. therapeutic, preventative, device, test, software) are eligible.
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Does my institution participate the KYNETIC program?The following institutions participate in the KYNETIC network: University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, Eastern Kentucky University, Kentucky State University, Morehead State University, Murray State University, Northern Kentucky University and Western Kentucky University. The network also includes the 16 colleges in the Kentucky Community and Technical College System.
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Does my product have to treat one specific disease?There is no disease-specific requirement, but it must be related to human health.
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What's the policy on intellectual property?Applications should involve ideas that originate from within a participating institution (making them potentially eligible for patent protection, copyright or some other mechanism) or university-derived technologies with pending/issued patents or copyright. Technologies that are already licensed to a company are not eligible.
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What's the budget?Requests for up to $33,333.33 per project, over a period of 6 months, will be considered. Projects are eligible for competitive renewal every 6 months, until a maximum of $200,000 per technology is reached.
KYNETIC Videos
View the KYNETIC video library.
REACH Hubs
Check out the REACH hubs around the country! Kentucky has earned two of these prestigious awards to encourage translational innovation. If you’d like more information, reach out to Kentucky Commercialization Ventures.
Meet the KYNETIC Team
Principal investigators
Linda Dwoskin, PhD
Principal Investigator
Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences
University of Kentucky
Expertise: Drug Development, Mechanistic Studies
Email Linda Dwoskin
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Kevyn Merten, PhD
Principal Investigator
Chief of Staff for EVPRI
University of Louisville
Expertise: Drug Development, Business, Commercialization
Co-Investigators
Kayla Meisner, MEng
Co-Investigator
Executive Director, Kentucky Commercialization Ventures
Kentucky Science & Technology Corporation
Expertise: Engineering, Business, Commercialization
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Ian McClure, JD, LLM
Co-Investigator
Executive Director, Office of Technology Commercialization
University of Kentucky
Expertise: IP strategy, Technology Transfer, Entrepreneurship
Email Ian McClure
Other Key People
Jamie Rush, MS
KYNETIC Regional Project Manager
Brown Cancer Center
Expertise: Cell Signaling, Wound Healing, Pharmacology & Toxicology
Email Jamie Rush
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Jessica Sharon, MBA
Project Manager
Director of Innovation Programs
University of Louisville
Expertise: Bioengineering, Business
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Sarah Andres, PhD
Project Manager
James Graham Brown Cancer Center
University of Louisville
Expertise: Drug Development, Mechanistic Studies
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Ashton Miller, PhD
Research Network Coordinator/Project Manager
Kentucky Network for Innovation and Commercialization (KYNETIC)
University of Kentucky
Do you have an idea you’d like to share with us?
KCV is here to help with the commercialization process by taking ideas to products. Meet with us to discuss your idea and get commercialization support for your KYNETIC grant application.
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For questions about this process or how KCV can help you, email KCV@KSTC.com.