Requests for Proposals

Areas of Consideration

Three overarching VIA goals will be addressed through this RFP process. Applications must fall under one of the three.

1. Regional Collaboration and Partnership: Connect regions, technologies and industries to build a regional network that maximizes regional assets to achieve and sustain an economic advantage.  Connecting with regions internationally by establishing global partnerships that complement our efforts and build our innovation capacity.  VIA will also strive to leverage the efforts of other federal agencies that have joined DOL under the WIRED umbrella.

2. Cultivating cluster-based STEM competencies:  Increase the size and quality of the North Alabama/South Tennessee workforce necessary to support and grow the targeted industry sectors of Biotechnology/Nanotechnology/Information Technology, Engineering, and Advanced Manufacturing by recruiting globally and developing an educational pipeline that promotes careers in these industries, prepares students for successful careers at all levels, and enables lifelong learning.  NOTE:  VIA FUNDS SUPPORT THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) SKILLS FOR STUDENTS 16 AND OVER.  PROJECTS THAT TARGET STUDENTS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 14-16 MUST ALSO BE REVIEWED ON A CASE-BY-BASE BASIS BY THE DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AGAINST THESE FIVE (5) CRITERIA.  IF THE PROJECT IS NOT APPROVED BY THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR UPON REVIEW, THE GRANTEE MUST AGREE TO SERVE ONLY STUDENTS 16 AND OVER.
   • Does the training or educational activity have a direct connection to the student gaining skills and competencies that will lead to employment in a high-growth industry? 
   • Does the training utilize curriculum developed in concert with business and industry and is it designed to provide specific competencies required by high-growth industry for employment? 
   • Is the activity a “model activity” that demonstrates innovative models for teaching high-growth, industry-defined competencies and occupational skills or builds capacity to teach those competencies and skills? 
   • Is the activity designed to expose students to careers and/or provide career guidance in high-growth industries or is it designed to encourage students to obtain skills and competencies to begin a career in a high growth industry sector? 
   • Does the activity support students developing skills and competencies that will contribute to their being entrepreneurial and growing new businesses in emerging, high-growth industry sectors? 

3. Entrepreneurism/Technology Transformation:  Create an entrepreneurial climate that encourages, supports, and finances business development and growth in our targeted industries working in partnership with such resources as Huntsville’s BizTech High Tech Incubator, the Huntsville Angel Network, Shoals Business Incubator, and Southern Tennessee Business Incubators, and the North Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA).  Facilitate the extension of existing business mentoring and angel investment activities to the entire region, based on the models existing at Huntsville’s BizTech.  Foster growth of existing Huntsville-based networking organizations, such as the Partnership for Biotech Research (PBR), to include members from throughout the region.  Leverage the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) Pilot project to promote innovation and growth in existing ingrained industries by fostering partnerships that exploit bio and nanotechnologies and facilitate technology transfer in these areas. A primary focus will be on “green” processes, biomaterials and renewable resources.  By tapping our wealth of knowledge from an engineering, research-based economy, we can apply it to a whole new set of regional, national and international business opportunities.