The Ohio Third Frontier has issued two requests for proposals (RFP) that will award $17 million in grant funding for medical imaging and biomedical technologies.  To date, the Ohio Third Frontier has invested more than $300 million in the biomedical industry and another $74 million in medical imaging solutions.

According to the biomedical RFP, the Ohio Third Frontier Biomedical Program (OTFBP) is giving preference to in this round of funding to “proposals that are in the technology subject areas of cardiovascular medicine, regenerative medicine and orthopedics.”  The OTFBP will only fund grant applications that focus on the following types of projects:

• Developing and commercializing new devices, therapeutics, or diagnostics that can address one or more issues that improve delivery or patient outcomes of biomedical technology or address technical commercialization barriers.
• Adapting or modifying an existing biomedical product that is produced in Ohio that can address one or more issues that improve delivery or patient outcomes of biomedical technology or address technical commercialization barriers.
• Clinical Trials in Ohio of biomedical technology that maximize incorporation of Ohio components and are operating under final use conditions.

While the Ohio Third Frontier has decided to remain “technology neutral with respect to various medical imaging technologies,” according to the medical imaging RFP, the program will only fund grant applications that focus on the following:

• Developing and commercializing new medical imaging devices or manufacturing processes that can address one or more issues, including new imaging methodology, cost, size, resolution quality, or image acquisition time, of medical imaging devices or address technical commercialization barriers.
• Adapting or modifying an existing product that is produced in Ohio by utilizing a medical imaging technology that can address one or more issues, including the cost, size, resolution quality, or image acquisition time of the device or address technical commercialization barriers.
• Commercially oriented demonstration projects in Ohio of medical imaging devices that maximize incorporation of Ohio components and are operating under final use conditions.

A bidder’s conference has been scheduled for January 5, 2010 at TechColumbus and Letters of intent are due to the Ohio Department of Development by January 25, 2010. Completed RFPs must be turned in by March 1, 2010, at 2 p.m. Program awards will made in May 2010.

Visit the Ohio Third Frontier web site to download the biomedical RFP or the medical imaging RFP.