IGEM Grant Program — HERC Track

IGEM HERC Track (seed entry)

Supports deep-tech commercialization for university-linked companies in Idaho through state reimbursable grants and early-stage commercialization pathways.

Eligibility · United States · US-ID

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Idaho Global Entrepreneurial Mission (IGEM) HERC Track is an annual state grant program administered by the Idaho State Board of Education through the Higher Education Research Council (HERC). It provides cost-reimbursable grants exclusively to Idaho's three public research universities — Boise State University, Idaho State University, and the University of Idaho — to advance the commercialization of university-developed R&D. The program's statutory authority is IDAPA 28.02.03.250, and its mandate is to seed Idaho's economic growth by converting academic research into transferred technologies and commercially viable enterprises.

The program funds three distinct internal tracks corresponding to technology readiness stages: Proof of Concept (earliest stage), Initial Startup (intermediate stage), and Commercialization Track (most mature stage). Priority sectors include biotechnology and biomedicine, energy, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence, machine learning, cybersecurity, human-environment interactions, and microelectronics and semiconductors. Proposals are evaluated on three primary criteria: the strength of collaborative effort between institutions, the depth of engagement with private-sector partners, and the near-term potential for technology transfer to industry. The FY26 cycle deadline was February 28, 2025; FY27 cycle dates had not been published at catalog capture.

Because only the three named Idaho public universities are eligible, the competitive set is narrow, and award strategy centers on differentiating a proposal's inter-institutional collaboration strength and private-sector partnership depth. University technology transfer offices at BSU, ISU, and U of I publish internal guidance and limited-submission notices for each cycle. Prospective applicants should monitor the Idaho State Board of Education website for the FY27 RFP release and engage technology transfer offices early to secure institutional endorsement before the short proposal window opens.