Logic Model for PFI:BIC

BIC PROGRAM OBJECTIVES
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Support industry-academic partnerships, which are led by an interdisciplinary academic research team with at least one industry partner, to
collaborate in building technological and human innovation capacity. Characteristics of this partnership are that it is:
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The project should focus on:
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Technological innovations with potential for significant economic/societal impact
Novel applications motivated by existing research discoveries
Platform technologies with the potential to achieve transformational change in existing service systems or to spur entirely new service systems
An understanding of the potential interaction of the technology with customers and the broader public affected by the technology, the “social-technical
system”

Participation of students and all postdoctoral researchers should:
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Intended to endure beyond the initial award
Expected to be effective at innovating and able to continue to innovate
Highly intentional about creating an environment that fosters innovation
Develop new technology and the development of human capital that embraces a culture of change, nurtures the generation of new ideas, and
considers feedback an integral part of innovation processes
Diverse and collaborative, representing a spectrum of backgrounds, perspectives, and skills: engineering, computer science, and other fields of science,
together with social, behavioral, or cognitive sciences must be represented in the partnership

Develop the skill sets, capabilities, and motivation to become future innovators in partnership collaborations
Enculturate the students and postdoctoral researchers in innovation
Be immersed in the interaction and collaborate actively with the partners from industry as well as from academe

The hallmark of PFI:BIC is an academe-industry partnership crafted to address the central issue of identifying and advancing key
platform technologies so as to enable “smart” service systems to enter into the commercialization process. The partnership should have:
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A deep understanding of potential service systems where the technology could be implemented
A clear understanding of the market need and the competitive landscape

BIC LONG-TERM LOGIC MODEL
INPUTS
• Initial discovery
• Funding and Logistics (up to
$800K for 3 years)
• Expertise of engineers,
computer scientists,
cognitive, social, or
behavioral scientists, and
other researchers and
industry participants
• Resources to help connect
BIC awardees with industry
participants
• PI training
• Process, Materials and
Resources (facilities
contributed by industry and
academic)
• Descriptions of the potential
impact
• Other coordinating entities
• Student and Postdoc
Mentoring Plans
• Cooperative Research
Agreements between
partners and Partnership
Letters detailing their
respective commitments

PROJECT
ACTIVITIES

OUTPUTS

• Interdisciplinary research
considerations of service
systems as they relate to
needs of the users and to
advance the platform
technology
• Inclusion of service industry
R&D
• Partners jointly identify
possible markets and
commercial applications for
the platform technology
• Partners jointly identify and
overcome technical and/or
market barriers to the
success of the platform
technology
• Establishment of a
sustainable relationship
between academic research
team and industry partners
• Education of students in
design process
• Leveraging of additional
capital from sources outside
the university or NSF

• Interdisciplinary publications
on platform technology are
developed from BIC-funded
awards
• Technical barriers to
commercialization feasibility
are overcome
• Marketing obstacles to
commercialization are
overcome
• A subset of partners
continue the relationship
after the life of the award
• Students are trained in
interdisciplinary approach to
service system engineering
• Memoranda of
Understanding or
Cooperative Research
Agreements between
partners are renewed if
appropriate for continuation
of the relationship
• A business plan for
commercialization is
developed, where
appropriate

Life of award

IMMEDIATE
OUTCOMES

INTERMEDIATE
OUTCOMES

• Feasibility of
commercialization is tested
• New research directions are
developed
• Patent and license
applications of new
technology developed from
BIC awards (a subset of
awardees)
• Researchers and/or students
(academic and/or industry)
working on BIC research
become innovators and/or
entrepreneurs in other
contexts
• Researchers and/or students
pursue further funding for
the platform technology
• Students contextualize their
attitudes to and proclivities
for innovation

• Platform technologies tested
in new contexts considering
needs of customers
• Platform technology
iteration cycle shortened
due to involvement of
industry participants and
customers
• Licensing of platform
technology to industry
• Partnerships from BIC
awards sustained over time
to work on new technologies
• New academia-industry
partnerships formed by BIC
awardees
• Student participants pursue
career in similarly
interdisciplinary research
• Research and partnership
increase academic
institutional reputation as an
“innovation hub”
• “Best practices” for
academic-industry
partnerships established and
disseminated
• Workforce development as
new positions or employee
training opportunities are
created by BIC partnership

1 yr post-award

2-5 yrs post-award

LONG-TERM
OUTCOMES/
IMPACT

• Improved “smart”
technology available to the
service industry
• Increased retention of BICfunded students to
engineering
careers/research and/or
entrepreneurship
• A subset of BIC awardees
form start-up or spin-off
companies
• Continuation of the cycle of
innovation as BIC funded
students become PIs with
industry partnerships or
industry researchers with
academic partnerships
• University continues to
promote and support similar
partnerships via BIC or other
avenues
• Adoption/dissemination of
the BIC partnership model
by other institutions

5-10 yrs post-award

Possible Indicators for BIC
Identification of new markets, or
potential markets ruled out

•ATTRIBUTION
•Number of technical or market
barriers identified to
commercialization of the
platform technology
•Number of solutions devised for
overcoming these barriers
•Number of potential service
markets for the platform
technology identified
during/after the life of the
award
•Number of potential service
markets for the platform
technology ruled out
during/after the life of the
award

Enhancement of academic team’s and
institution’s technical capacities and
visibility, development of human
resources for innovation

•ATTRIBUTION
•Number of academic
participants pursuing continued
relationship with their BIC
partners or pursuing
involvement with other industry
partners
•Number of BIC PIs submitting to
other IIP programs (e.g., ICorps, SBIR, AIR, etc.), or other
NSF programs, or other federal
agencies
•Number of new or continuing
awards from other agencies or
institutions leveraged from the
BIC award
•Number of students and
postdocs trained by BIC PI
•CONTRIBUTION
•Number of students/postdocs
continuing in related fields
and/or similar innovation or
entrepreneurial partnerships
•Number of faculty reporting
career changes/enhancements
or research approaches as a
result of the relationship
sponsored by the BIC award
•Number of start-ups formed by
members of the BIC partnership
team

Advancement of emerging
technologies

•ATTRIBUTION
•Number of BIC partnerships
reporting development of a
business plan for the platform
technology
•Number of BIC partnerships
reporting that
commercialization of the
platform technology is feasible
•Identification of the reason for
failure if the innovation does
not make it to market
•CONTRIBUTION
•Publications on technology
and/or advancements in the
underlying discovery supported
by the BIC award
•Growth in IP position of the
platform technology (patent
and licensing application and
activities)
•Number of products on market
that are derived from BICsupported platform technology
•Shortening of average
development cycle of platform
technology to
commercialization that
researchers attribute to the
partnership

Increased viability and visibility of
industry partner’s investment in
technology

•ATTRIBUTION
•Number of industry participants
pursuing continued relationship
with their BIC partners or other
academic partners
•Number of BIC platform
technology-related patents or
licenses purchased from
university IP
•CONTRIBUTION
•Number of new professional
development opportunities for
employee/researcher training
and/or exchange created as a
result of the BIC partnership.

Quality, health, and sustainability of
partnership model

•ATTRIBUTION
•Academic researchers report
success/value of the
partnership (7 Keys for
Successful Project
Management)
•Industry partners report
success/value of the
partnership (7 Keys for
Successful Project
Management)
•Dissemination of “best
practices” related to these
relationships (data from 7 Keys,
produced by NSF and/or
universities)
•CONTRIBUTION
•Number of similar partnerships
via BIC or other avenues that
university continues to promote
and support
•Number of universities
adopting similar partnership
programs
•Number of new potential
industry partners that seek
relationships with the academic
institution due to BIC success

New research directions

•ATTRIBUTION
•Number of new research
directions identified
•CONTRIBUTION
•Number of related “smart”
service system applications of
platform technology

Data Sources for BIC Indicators
RPPR/Annual Report
•Publications on platform technology and/or advancements in the underlying discovery supported by the BIC award
•Growth in IP position of the technology (patents and licensing activities)
•Number of patents or licenses purchased from university IP
•Number of students and postdocs trained by BIC PI
Other NSF Data Systems
•Number of BIC PIs submitting to other IIP programs (e.g., I-Corps, SBIR, AIR, etc.) or other NSF programs
•Number of new or continuing awards from NSF
Life-of-award Monitoring System
•Academic researchers report success/value of the partnership (7 Keys for Successful Project Management)
•Industry partners report success/value of the partnership (7 Keys for Successful Project Management)
•Number of technical or market barriers identified to commercialization of the platform technology
•Number of solutions devised for overcoming these barriers
•Number of potential service markets for the platform technology identified during the life of the award
•Number of potential service markets for the platform technology ruled out during the life of the award
•Identification of the reason for failure if the innovation does not make it to market
Post-award Monitoring System
•Number of BIC platform technology-related patents or licenses purchased from university IP after the award
•Number of academic participants pursuing continued relationship with their BIC partners or with other industry partners
•Number of industry participants pursuing continued relationship with their BIC partners or other academic partners
•Total number of new partnerships developed out of this relationship (aggregate data from post-award monitoring system)
•Number of BIC PIs submitting to other federal agencies
•Number of new or continuing awards from other agencies or institutions leveraged from the BIC award
•Growth in IP position of the technology (patents and licensing activities) after the award
•Number of products on the market that are derived from BIC-supported platform technology
•Number of potential service markets for the platform technology identified after the life of the award
•Number of potential service markets for the platform technology ruled out after the life of the award
•Number of new positions and opportunities for employee training created as a result of the BIC partnership
•Number of students/postdocs continuing in related fields and/or similar innovation or entrepreneurial partnerships
•Number of faculty reporting career changes/enhancements or research approaches as a result of the relationship sponsored by the BIC award
•Number of new research directions identified
•Number of related “smart” service system applications of platform technology
•Number of start-ups formed by any members of the BIC partnership team
•Number of BIC partnerships reporting development of a business plan for the platform technology
•Number of BIC partnerships reporting that commercialization of the platform technology is feasible
•Shortening of average development cycle of platform technology to commercialization
•Identification of the reason for failure if the innovation does not make it to market
Other Data Sources (University Reporting, Google Scholar, Internal NSF)
•Dissemination of “best practices” related to these relationships (produced by NSF and/or universities)
•Number of coauthored publications by academic and industry partners after the award
•Number of similar partnerships via BIC or other avenues that university continues to promote and support
•Number of universities adopting similar partnership programs
•Number of new potential industry partners that seek relationships with the academic institution due to BIC success