Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII)

MII — Technology Assessment

Runs grant for Maryland university faculty to evaluate the commercial potential of through the MII Technology Assessment.

The Maryland Innovation Initiative (MII) Technology Assessment phase is a grant programme administered by TEDCO, the Maryland Technology Development Corporation, an independent instrumentality of the State of Maryland established by the General Assembly in 1998. It funds full-time faculty at one of five qualifying Maryland research universities to rigorously evaluate whether a university-developed invention has genuine commercial potential. The five qualifying institutions are Johns Hopkins University, Morgan State University, the University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), UMBC, and the University of Maryland College Park (UMCP). Sole applicants from a single university may receive up to $130,000, while joint applications involving faculty from two of the qualifying universities may receive up to $180,000; all awards cover a nine-month period of performance. Submissions are accepted on a quarterly basis with standing deadlines of January 15, April 15, July 15, and October 15 at 5:00 PM Eastern Time each year. Applicants must complete a one-time TEDCO ID registration before their first submission. A Site Miner — a TEDCO-designated industry expert who evaluates the commercial landscape for the technology — must be engaged at least 30 days before the submission deadline, and a formal letter of support from the Site Miner is a required application component; this engagement cannot be completed after the submission window opens. The Technology Assessment phase is restricted to faculty applicants and is not open to startups or external companies. The downstream MII Company Formation phase targets Maryland-based for-profit startups that have licensed technology from one of the five qualifying universities within the prior 12 months, with awards up to $300,000. A successful Technology Assessment outcome therefore creates a direct pathway into the Company Formation phase. Contact for MII is sgoncalves@tedcomd.com.