Science Center should be able to apply for federal research grants: Steve Tang

The University City Science Center can’t apply for most types of federal research grants because it’s not an academic institution.

That needs to change, Science Center president Steve Tang told the U.S. Senate last week at a hearing focused on how federal dollars drive innovation.

The Science Center and other research parks are “unable to fulfill [their] potential as catalysts for tech transfer and commercialization, simply because [they] are not eligible to apply for most grants from the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies,” Tang said, according to a copy of his testimony provided to Technically Philly.

Tang, a member of the U.S. Commerce Department’s Innovation Advisory Board, was invited to testify at the hearing, where he announced his support of the America COMPETES Act. He also asked that the Senate increase the amount of federal funding allocated for research and technology transfer work.