Full applications for SPARK Awards are solicited by invitation only following referral from CU Innovations Licensing Managers or the SPARK|REACH Team. Projects are reviewed based on various criteria, including unmet need, scientific merit, intellectual property position, market potential, commercial path, and time to market. Eligible, competitive projects are invited to submit a full application. Please review the “What We Fund” section before contacting your Licensing Manager or the SPARK|REACH Team.

Applicants invited to submit a full application receive support from Licensing Managers, the SPARK team, and subject matter experts to prepare their applications. Applications are currently solicited once a year in the early fall. To schedule a 30 minute consult free of charge with the subject matter experts below, please email Claire.McDonald@cuanschutz.edu - Tuesday, 9/7, 9 – 12 MT: SPARK Regulatory Office Hours with Ernesto P. Chanona, PhD, Director of Business Development, CSSi LifeSciences - Tuesday, 9/14, 9 – 1 MT: SPARK Reimbursement Office Hours with Patty Telgener, CEO/President of Canary Insights

Full applications go through three rounds of review. Applications that do not proceed to the next round will receive feedback as to why their projects were not selected as well as how to make a more competitive application. Round 1: SPARK External Review Board - written applications are reviewed by industry professionals for commercial potential as well as path and time to market.

Round 2: NIH REACH Technology Guidance Committee (TGC) - written applications are reviewed by NIH Program Officers, FDA and CMS representatives, and commercialization experts for scientific rigor and commercial potential.

Round 3: Project Pitches - applicants are invited to pitch to the CU Innovations team and SPARK|REACH External Review Board. Pitch presentations are scheduled for Friday, January 28, 2022.

Successful applicants will be notified within seven days of the final pitch. The SPARK team will work with awardees to submit the necessary documentation to secure the OEDIT AI Proof-of-Concept portion of the SPARK Award for submission in late February / early March. Applicants must receive OEDIT approval to receive a SPARK Award.