PACE - Promoting Academic Research Conversion to Enterprise

What it is

Support academic collaborations, development of products and technologies up to proof of concept, and validation toward commercialization.

What you get

• BIRAC PACE AIR/CRS academic translational research support - component-specific

Who it is for

• An eligible accredited academic institute, university, NGO or research foundation must be the primary applicant
• AIR supports academic proof-of-concept/prototype development and industry or LLP involvement is optional
• CRS requires an industrial partner or LLP to validate an academic process or prototype
• AIR requires established proof-of-principle, preliminary data, technical credentials and an eligible project route; basic/exploratory research is excluded
• CRS requires established PoC, validation-ready data and an industrial partner commitment including the first right for commercialization as applicable
• proposals must be submitted online through BIRAC Institution User Registration during the applicable call

Not eligible if

• PACE is not a general direct grant for an ordinary startup, MSME or company without the academia-led route
• AIR and CRS are separate components and their funding, TRL, partner and IP terms must not be merged
• the CRS no-ceiling statement is not a guaranteed applicant entitlement or a single grant amount
• Past RFP deadlines are not open calls; apply only when BIRAC announces a new PACE call.
• industry collaborator ownership, facility, background-IP and first-right terms require component-specific review

How to apply

1. 1
   Verify the current PACE component and call

   Check the official PACE page and current BIRAC RFP for AIR or CRS, dates, scope, applicant route and current terms before treating the record as actionable.

   Official step
2. 2
   Classify AIR versus CRS

   Determine whether the proposal develops PoC through AIR or validates an academic prototype through CRS, then verify the academic primary applicant and industrial-partner conditions.

   Official step
3. 3
   Prepare evidence and agreements

   Assemble accreditation, PI credentials, proof-of-principle/PoC, preliminary data, technical plan, milestones, budget, collaborator commitment and background-IP/first-right documents.

   Official step
4. 4
   Submit and track the project

   Register the institution, submit through the official BIRAC PACE proforma, retain the agreement and track milestones, validation, reporting, IP and commercialization conditions.

   Official step

Keep ready