Overview: SMU and UT Dallas are partnering with REVTECH Ventures to offer a higher ed industry-targeted grant for suppressing Covid-19 on university and college campuses. Due to the influx of community interest, this grant is an extension of the REVTECH grant program announced March 24 .
The higher ed-focused “SAFE Schools” grant—Suppression Alternatives for Education—will award $5,000 challenge grants to UT Dallas and SMU students that propose solutions for virus suppression on university and college campuses. The objective is to create a low-risk campus environment that could exist after state- and local-executive orders have expired.
The problem to solve in this challenge is: "what is a minimally viable product combination of technology and process that will permit safe, confident social interaction and retail commerce?"
Mirroring our investment strategy, we would like to see a 10x return on grants, but in terms of impact rather than financial gains (i.e, each $5,000 grant should result in $50,000 worth of measurable support generated by your solution). You must be able to begin implementing your solution and achieve results within 90 days of grant receipt. Given the short timeline, we will consider proposals enabling a minimum of 3x return on measurable support.
Process: Leadership from RevTech Ventures, SMU, and UT Dallas will review grant requests, and respond if you are selected, within one week after the deadline. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Money is approved and sent based on the solution and ask.
Submission Deadline: April 30 (applications reviewed on a rolling basis)
Approval Date: May 7
Qualifications:
- Currently enrolled SMU or UT Dallas Students
- Any Major eligible
Evaluation Criteria:
- Speed-to-market
- Resourcefulness
- Creativity
- Simplicity
- Level of amplified Dallas community impact generated
Measurable Support is a broad word, what exactly are you looking for?
That is for you to decide! You create the measuring stick, and we will pick the ideas that have the potential to make the biggest difference in creating a low-risk campus environment that could exist after state and local executive orders have expired. Some examples of measurable support could be:
- Mobile apps and services that track food preparation, mobile (e.g. QR code) check-ins at retail (book store), hospitality (dining hall, food court, pub), and other public spacesResourcefulness
- Manual or automated reporting processes that track individual health, movement, social interactions, location
- Widely available hand wipes, tissues, other surface cleaning agents
- Nearly universal face masks and accurate skin thermometers
- Various kind of social distance barriers and signage—inside facilities and in key, outside areas around campus, to control/track access flow (library, research labs, event halls, etc.)
Adopting Peter Frumkin's approach of strategic giving, solutions should adopt our parameters of effectiveness, accountability, and legitimacy:
- Effectiveness: Ideally achieve 10x of Dallas community support based on granted funds within 90 days, with a minimum of 3x value of community support
- Accountability: Demonstrate a transparent and efficient plan to measure, yield, and share results while adhering to the following requirements:
- Maintain documentation showing use of money (e.g. receipts, payments, etc.)
- Create plan outline and provide bi-weekly status updates showing progress against plan
- Provide post-grant presentation of acheived results after 3 months
- Legitimacy: The solution must solve a legitimate need in the community; you may make the business case for the need, but the goals of these grants are to magnify impact of donations in Texas