Through the Seed Funding Program for Faculty, OSU’s Technology Business Assessment Group  (TBAG) funds faculty research projects with the potential for commercial success.  The group identifies these projects from proposals submitted in response to solicitations issued each fall and spring.  Program Director Steve Price says: “The program continues to grow as faculty look for that hard-to-find funding to take their research to higher levels of product development.” 

    The group identifies research projects that have the potential for commercial application when fully developed, and then helps move those projects forward by funding early stages of development.  Hopefully, these initial steps lead to a startup company or a joint venture with an interested company.  TBAG was formed in 2005 to further engage research faculty pursuing new technology development opportunities.

    TBAG Board of Advisors includes private sector partners experienced in new product identification and new technology evaluation, early-stage capital investors, representatives from i2E, the OSU Center for Innovation and Economic Development, the OSU-Okmulgee Economic Development and Training Center, the OSU VP for Research and Technology Transfer and the OSU Assistant VP for Technology Development.