Board of Research & Commercialization Technology

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What is the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology?
  2. What kinds of projects have the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology funded?
  3. How much money has been awarded?
  4. What are the matching funds requirements?
  5. Do the projects have to be located in Montana?
  6. What is meant by a "research and commercialization center"?
  7. What is meant by "research"?
  8. What is meant by "commercialization"?
  9. How is "production agriculture" defined?
  10. How is "clean coal research and development" defined?
  11. How is "renewable resource research and development" defined?
  12. Does the money have to be paid back?
  13. How long can projects be funded?
  14. How many members constitute the Board?
  15. How often does the Board meet?
  16. When is the next submission deadline for proposals?
  17. What is required for proposals to be considered for funding?
  18. What is the range of grant awards?
  19. What is the average award amount?
  20. What qualifications must a project have in order to be considered for funding?
  21. Who administers the program?

  1. What is the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology?
    The Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology was created by the 1999 Montana Legislature to provide a predictable and stable source of funding for research and commercialization projects to be conducted at research and commercialization centers in Montana. The purpose of the program is to encourage economic development through investment in research projects that have a clear path to commercialization.

  2. What kinds of projects have the Montana Board of Research and Commercialization Technology funded?
    Please see Projects Funded for descriptions of projects funded since the inception of the program. Awards have been made for a wide range of projects, including production agriculture, electro-optics, biotechnology, chemistry, laser, digital imagining and metal processing and recovery.

  3. How much money has been awarded?
    The Board has awarded $30.6 million dollars in eight funding cycles.

  4. What are the matching funds requirements?
     Matching funds must come from non-Montana state government sources (i.e., Montana tax dollars), must equal 25% of the total cost of the project and must be in possession of the grant recipient at the time the contract is executed.

  5. Do the projects have to be located in Montana?
     Yes. Projects must be conducted at research and commercialization centers located in Montana.

  6. What is meant by a "research and commercialization center"?
     A research and commercialization center means the campuses of The University of Montana or Montana State University, tribal colleges, colleges of technology, community colleges, agricultural research centers, or a private laboratory or research center.

  7. What is meant by "research"?
     Research is defined for the purposes of this program as basic research, applied research, or a combination of both. Applied research means research that is conducted to attain a specific benefit or solve a practical problem. Basic research means research that is conducted to uncover the basic function or mechanism of a scientific question.

  8. What is meant by "commercialization"?
     Commercialization is the sale of a product or service that meets market needs.

  9. How is "production agriculture" defined?
    Production agriculture projects are projects that improve someone's ability to produce and/or market agricultural products.

  10. How is "clean coal research and development" defined?
    Clean coal research and development means research and development of projects that would advance the efficiency, environmental performance, and cost-competitiveness of using coal as an energy source well beyond the current level of technology used in commercial service.

  11. How is "renewable resource research and development" defined?
    Renewable resource and development means research and development of projects that would use any of the sources of energy listed below to produce electricity, and the efficiency, environmental performance, and cost-competitiveness of using these resources would be well beyond the current level of technology used in commercial service:
  12. a) Wind
    b) Solar
    c) Geothermal
    d) Water power, in the case of a hydroelectric project that does not require a new appropriation, diversion, or impoundment of water that has a nameplate rating of 10 megawatts or less
    e) Landfill or farm-based methane gas
    f) Gas produced during the treatment of wastewater
    g) Low-emission, nontoxic biomass based on dedicated energy crops, animal wastes, or solid organic fuels from wood, forest, or field residues, except that the term does not include wood pieces that have been treated with chemical preservatives such as creosote, pentachlorophenol, or copper-chroma-arsenic
    h) Hydrogen derived from any of the sources in this list for use in fuel cells
    i) The renewable energy fraction from the sources identified in this list of electricity production from a multiple-fuel process with fossil fuels.

  13. Does the money have to be paid back?
     Provided that the provisions of the Grant Agreement are met, grants do not require repayment.

  14. How long can projects be funded?
     The Board will fund projects for up to two years. Multi-year projects require subsequent funding applications.

  15. How many members constitute the Board?
     The Board has six members. Two members are appointed by the Governor, one by the President of the Senate, one by the Senate Minority Leader, one by the Speaker of the House and one by the House Minority Leader.

  16. How often does the Board meet?
     The Board is required by statute to meet at least quarterly. During the proposal review process, meetings are held more often.

  17. When is the next submission deadline for proposals?
     The next submission deadline is March 2, 2009.

  18. What is required for proposals to be considered for funding?
    The latest Request for Proposal can be found at RFP Example Guidelines.

  19. What is the range of grant awards?
     With a few exceptions grant awards range from less than $20,000 to $500,000.

  20. What is the average award amount?
     The average award is $100,000 per year.

  21. What qualifications must a project have in order to be considered for funding?
     In its decision to fund or to deny funding of an application, the Board will take into consideration the number of, and the degree to which, the following qualifications are met:

    ~ Has potential to diversity or add value to a traditional basic industry of the state's economy
    ~ Shows promise for enhancing technology-based sectors or commercial development of discoveries
    ~ Employs or takes advantage of existing research and commercialization strengths
    ~ Has a realistic and achievable project design
    ~ Employs an innovative technology
    ~ Is located in Montana
    ~ Has a qualified research team
    ~ Has scientific merit based on peer review
    ~ Includes research opportunities for students

  22. Who administers the program?
    The program is administratively attached to the Department of Commerce and is staffed by the Executive Director and the Administrative Specialist.