Opportunity Information: Apply for EDA CHI TA CRO 2016 2004817
The FY 2016 EDA University Center Economic Development Program Competition (Chicago Regional Office) was a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through the Economic Development Administration (EDA). It focused on supporting university-led economic development work that strengthens regional economies, especially by helping new ideas move from research and development into real-world commercial activity and by building the conditions for sustained business growth. The opportunity sat within CFDA 11.303 and was categorized under regional development and related activities.
At its core, the program funded “University Center” initiatives designed to push forward regional commercialization, entrepreneurship, innovation, and business expansion, particularly within a region’s innovation cluster. The intent was not just to fund academic research, but to translate university capacity into practical, regional economic outcomes. That includes helping startups form and scale, supporting existing businesses with technical assistance that leads to expansion, improving coordination across innovation ecosystems, and developing a high-skilled workforce aligned with regional industry needs. The program was framed around the idea that universities and university consortia can serve as anchor institutions that connect entrepreneurs, companies, investors, workforce partners, and local governments to accelerate economic development.
Eligible applicants were limited to accredited institutions of higher education, including both public/state-controlled universities and private institutions, as well as consortia of accredited institutions. A key geographic restriction applied: applicants had to be located in, and propose programs targeting only, the geographic areas served by EDA’s Chicago and Philadelphia Regional Offices. In practice, that meant proposals needed to be tightly aligned to the regions within those EDA service territories, rather than national or broadly multi-regional efforts.
The funding instrument was a grant, with an award ceiling of $200,000 per award. EDA anticipated making about 10 awards under this competition. The funding opportunity was released on March 31, 2016, and the original application closing date was May 31, 2016. The opportunity number was EDA CHI TA CRO 2016 2004817, which identifies it as a technical assistance-style competition administered through the Chicago Regional Office.
Overall, this competition was aimed at universities that could demonstrate a strong, region-specific plan to grow innovation-driven economic activity. Competitive proposals would generally be expected to show clear regional relevance, strong partnerships with local and regional stakeholders, and credible pathways to outcomes like increased business formation and growth, stronger commercialization pipelines, and improved workforce capacity in targeted industry clusters.Apply for EDA CHI TA CRO 2016 2004817
- The Department of Commerce in the other, regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2016 EDA University Center Economic Development Program Competition - Chicago Regional Office" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 11.303.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2016-03-31.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2016-05-31. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $200,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the FY 2016 EDA University Center Economic Development Program Competition (Chicago Regional Office)?
It was a discretionary federal grant opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce through the Economic Development Administration (EDA). The competition funded university-led economic development efforts intended to strengthen regional economies by moving ideas from research and development into real-world commercial activity and by building conditions that support sustained business growth.
Which agency offered this grant opportunity?
The opportunity was offered by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration (EDA).
What is the main purpose of this competition?
The core purpose was to support “University Center” initiatives that advance regional commercialization, entrepreneurship, innovation, and business expansion, particularly within a region's innovation cluster. The emphasis was on practical regional economic outcomes rather than funding academic research for its own sake.
What kinds of activities or outcomes was the program designed to support?
Based on the description provided, the program focused on outcomes such as helping startups form and scale, supporting existing businesses with technical assistance leading to expansion, improving coordination across the regional innovation ecosystem, and developing a high-skilled workforce aligned with regional industry needs.
Does this program fund academic research projects?
The competition was framed as supporting university capacity that translates into practical regional economic outcomes. It was described as not intended to fund academic research alone, but to help convert research and development into commercialization and broader economic development impacts.
What is meant by a “University Center” initiative in this program?
In this context, a “University Center” initiative refers to a university-led (or university consortium-led) effort that serves as an anchor institution for regional economic development. The intent is for the university to connect entrepreneurs, companies, investors, workforce partners, and local governments to accelerate innovation-driven regional growth.
Who was eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants were limited to accredited institutions of higher education, including public/state-controlled universities and private institutions, as well as consortia of accredited institutions.
Were there geographic restrictions on who could apply and what areas could be served?
Yes. Applicants had to be located in, and propose programs targeting only, the geographic areas served by EDA's Chicago and Philadelphia Regional Offices. Proposals were expected to be aligned to those service territories rather than national or broadly multi-regional efforts.
Could an applicant propose a national or multi-region program?
The description indicates proposals needed to target only the geographic areas served by EDA's Chicago and Philadelphia Regional Offices, so broadly multi-regional or national efforts would not align with that restriction.
What CFDA number was associated with this opportunity?
This opportunity was within CFDA 11.303.
How was the opportunity categorized?
It was categorized under regional development and related activities.
What type of funding instrument was used?
The funding instrument was a grant.
What was the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling was $200,000 per award.
How many awards did EDA expect to make?
EDA anticipated making about 10 awards under this competition.
When was the funding opportunity released?
The opportunity was released on March 31, 2016.
What was the application deadline?
The original application closing date was May 31, 2016.
What is the opportunity number for this competition?
The opportunity number was EDA CHI TA CRO 2016 2004817.
What does the opportunity number indicate about how the competition was administered?
The identifier indicates it was a technical assistance-style competition administered through the Chicago Regional Office.
What kinds of regional focus areas were encouraged?
The competition emphasized innovation-driven economic activity tied to a region's innovation cluster, including commercialization pipelines, entrepreneurship, business expansion, and workforce development aligned with targeted regional industry needs.
What would a competitive proposal generally be expected to demonstrate?
Competitive proposals would generally be expected to show clear regional relevance, strong partnerships with local and regional stakeholders, and credible pathways to outcomes such as increased business formation and growth, stronger commercialization pipelines, and improved workforce capacity in targeted industry clusters.
What kinds of partnerships were implied as important for applicants?
The program framed universities as connectors among entrepreneurs, companies, investors, workforce partners, and local governments. This implies that strong collaboration across these groups would be important to achieving the intended regional outcomes.
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