Commonwealth Technology Research Fund

The Virginia Legislature created a fund for building research infrastructure in Virginia's universities. It is the Commonwealth
Technology Research Fund (CRTF), funded this next year at the $13M level. However, universities must match it so the value
to researchers is $26M.

With the help of the Virginia Research and Technology Advisory Commission, the fund has been crafted to be strategic in nature.
Grant range is $500,000 to be strategic in nature. Grant range is $500,000 to $1.5M. So, this is worth paying attention to.

The guidelines have been announced. See http://www.dpb.state.va.us/ctrf/ctrf.htm

There will be an informational meeting sponsored by the State on Thursday, October 5, 2000 at 10:30 - 12:30 in Ruffner Hall here
at the University.

I might point out that one element of the CRTF is that it will match large center type proposals. I believe that we have crafted it in
a way that we can get a proposer a few weeks turn-around for the request. We crafted the guidelines so that agency or foundation
evaluation is used -- no state committee (that would take eons to do the evaluation job) is involved. We will se if it works.

Feel free to pass this information along to other science and engineering faculty in the university.