ITAC Collaborative Funded Projects

ITAC CFPs

ITAC finances three categories of collaborative funded projects, CFPs: product development projects (PDP), advanced research projects (ARP) and preliminary research projects (PRP).
The research component, a key element within CFPs, requires collaboration between the ICT industry partners and the Egyptian IT universities or research institutes. The roles of the academic principal investigator (also known as PI) and the industrial partner (IP) should be clearly defined in the proposals submitted by applicants. ​​
Overview
 

Collaborative Funded Projects, one of ITAC’s programs, move a product concept out of the ideas shed, through the proof-of-concept and prototyping stages, until it turns into a complete product ready to hit the market.
Opening and closing points of each project can be defined as follows:
Proof-of-concept is the solid work published by the applicants in a journal, a patent owned by the applicants, or promising preliminary results of the proposed research or methodology.
Prototype is a working but not necessarily complete product. It may still need additional rese​arch for improving its output, lack some features, or need customization for specific applications.
Final product should satisfy all specifications of a commercial product and should be ready to bring to market by the end of PDP period.
IT Academia Collaboration finances three categories of collaborative funded projects, CFPs: product development projects (PDP), advanced research projects (ARP) and preliminary research projects (PRP).
The research component, a key element within these projects, requires synergy between the ICT industry partners and the Egyptian IT universities or research institutes. The roles of the academic principal investigator (also known as PI) and the industrial partner (IP) should be clearly defined in the proposals submitted by applicants.
 

CFP Areas

Submitted proposals should lie within the following areas:

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Strategic Areas: Wireless and Cyber Security, Electronics and Embedded Systems for ICT Applications, ICT for Homeland Security, ICT for Transportation, ICT for Health, ICT for Agriculture, ICT for the Disabled, ICT for Education, and ICT for Energy.
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Technology-Trend Areas: Mobile Applications and Computing, Cloud Computing, Data Analytics and Big Data, Internet of Things (IoT), Gamification, Cognitive Computing, Smart Machines, .Blockchain, and Virtual and Augmented Reality.
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Demand-Driven Areas: Determined based on specific needs of governmental bodies, ministries, governorates, etc.

We encourage proposals incorporating open source technologies and software-defined technologies. We updated the above areas based on global technological reports and national needs.​​

Processes
 

An applicant should follow a range of processes to obtain ITAC funds. Please refer to Resources section listed under guides and templates.
ITAC also schedules events for candidates before CFPs submission window opens. WriteIT is a range of seminars and webinars ITAC holds before launching new CFP rounds. These tackle queries by stakeholders and brief attendants on the Collaboration’s programs.​​

Eligibility
 

The eligibility criteria to benefit from ITAC funding custom-made for collaborative funded projects, CFPs are:

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The Principal Investigator, referred to as PI, along with the research team must be from Egyptian universities or research institutes. This PI must hold a PhD and have publication or patent in the proposal topic
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The Industrial Partner, known as IP, must be an Egyptian established ICT company registered in ITIDA database
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The IP is eligible to submit only one proposal per round​​
Objectives
 
 
Unlock research potential in local universities and tech institutes
 
Develop research capabilities in research centers within companies​​​​
 
Create innovative, yet competitive products for both society and marketplace​​​​
 
Connect scientific research institutes with industry entities​​​​
 
Boost the national income
Benefits
 

ITAC beneficiaries include local ICT enterprises, universities and research centers.
Collaborative funded projects, CFPs, conducted between companies and research bodies:

 
Preliminary research project; starts as an idea and ends at a proof-of-concept. PRPs receive funding up to EGP 250,000
 
Advanced research project; is the progress of proof-of-concept into a prototype. ARPs get a funding amounted at EGP 1,500,000 (a partial reimbursement)​​
 
Product development project; develops a prototype into a product. The funding of PDPs is up to EGP 2,500,000 (a​ partial reimbursement)​​​​​
 
Staring from round# 28, the ITAC program is announcing that ICT companies can apply for PDP fund solely without academic partner upon the fulfillment of the following conditions:
 
The prototype was developed by the company R&D team
 
The prototype has an innovation that can be patented or published
 
The company has a research team that is capable of filling in the research institutes role within the submitted project.
In such a case, the purchase of fixed assets is not allowed
 
Product development project; targets electronics products ready for MASS PRODUCTION (i.e., TRL 9 on NASA Scale). The funding of these PDPs is from Egypt Makes Electronics (EME) program and it is up to EGP 5,000,000 (a partial reimbursement). (All ITAC rules apply). The same previous condition is applied; electronic companies can apply solely for this fund without the academic partner.

* Salaries of team members involved in CFPs, starting from Round 26, are updated as follow:

Universities and Research Institutes ICT Companies Ceiling of Salary (EGP)
Professor 10 years of experience or more 15,000
Associate Professor 7 – 9 years of experience 12,000
Lecturer 5 – 6 years of experience 9,000
Research Assistant
 0 – 4 years of experience 6,000
Agenda
 

ITAC Calendar 2020

Program/Service Submission opens on Submission closes on
CFP Round 29 September 1, 2020
 October 31, 2020

The deadline varies depending on the CFP type, the deadlines are as follows:

 
PRP submission deadline: October 15, 2020 at 3 PM.
 
ARP submission deadline: October 22, 2020 at 3 PM.
 
PDP submission deadline: October 29, 2020 at 3 PM.
Apply
 

ITAC accepts proposals for these types of projects within the frame of rounds or calls announced around the year on our webpage. Applicants can submit full proposals within the submission windows before the deadlines of each project category. Candidates seeking partners can submit I​TAC MatchIT (pre-ARP and pre-PDP) at any time please use this Proposal Submission Form