The following are frequently asked questions of the Ohio Federal Research Network.
You can join the Ohio Federal Research Network mailing list by signing up via the official website on the homepage, at:  ohiofrn.org  
You can find information on past and upcoming funding rounds by visiting the “solicitations” tab on our website, at ohiofrn.org. Within the “solicitation” tab are subtabs for each round (currently, Rounds 1 through 5) of Ohio Federal Research Network funding. 
You can find information on the Ohio Federal Research Network awarded projects by visiting our news tab on our official website, here https://ohiofrn.org/news. You can follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn to stay up to date on client success stories and R&D updates in real-time. 
You can contact our Ohio Federal Research Network team by emailing us at ofrn@parallaxresearch.org or by dropping us a message via our website’s contact page, or by calling us at +1 (937) 705-1000. 

We maintain consistent communications with our federal partners and support them in the process to develop the OFRN Areas of Interest. Further, OFRN funded teams have a standing relationship with a federal subject matter expert who has technical expertise and interest in the project’s research and output. The OFRN engages with its partners via meetings and quarterly briefings.  

Yes, the Ohio Federal Research Network provides proposal navigation to universities and companies throughout Ohio. Learn more about our proposal assistance and navigation service here. 
The OFRN areas of interest are aligned with the mission-critical needs of the OFRN’s federal partners. These areas of interest vary, but you can learn more about them by viewing our solicitation page, here.  
The OFRN focuses its efforts on Ohio. Nonetheless, our program does work with other states, such as West Virginia, on academic and industry collaboration to innovate science and technology that fulfill mission-critical needs. If there are other states interested in expanding their federal research in collaboration with academia and industry, then we may be able to assist and are available to discuss such efforts. Contact us here. 
Yes, there will be additional future rounds of funding managed by the Ohio Federal Research Network. You can stay up to date with announcements of future OFRN funding rounds by joining our mailing list via our website homepage, here.  
Yes, the Ohio Federal Research Network participates in, hosts, and/or cross-promotes various events occurring within the small business, academic, and federal agency networks. OFRN events cover a range of topics, from federal and state funding opportunities to colliders centered around a specific R&D topic, to OFRN solicitation webinars, and the list goes on. Please view our event page, here.  

To achieve the Ohio Federal Research Network mission, we catalyze federal, academic, and commercial collaborations to support the future growth of Ohio’s workforce with a focus on the priority research initiatives of Ohio-based federal and state partners, including: 

Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) 

Naval Medical Research Unit Dayton (NAMRU-D) 

National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC) 

National Aeronautical and Space Administration’s Glenn Research Center (NASA-GRC) 

Ohio National Guard 

The Ohio Federal Research Network partners with 21 Ohio universities and colleges. Please view our complete university and college partner list on the “Our Partners” webpage, here.  
The Ohio Federal Research Network partners with 97 Ohio industry businesses and growing. Please view our complete industry partner list on the “Our Partners” webpage, here. 
Each request for proposal defines specific requirements. Additionally, we provide training on proposal development during proposers’ days as part of the pre-solicitation process. Please stay connected with OFRN by attending OFRN events and signing up for OFRN newsletters and announcements to receive the timing of future opportunities. You can join the Ohio Federal Research Network mailing list by signing up via the official website on the homepage, at: ohiofrn.org 
Yes, the Ohio Federal Research Network provides team matchmaking services to support industry and academic applicants applying for federal and state R&D funding.  

The Ohio Federal Research Network team matchmaking service entails locating and connecting potential collaborators within the Ohio Federal Research Network to pursue federal and state R&D funding opportunities through collaborative innovation. 

The OFRN utilizes networking and collaboration as solutions to innovation gaps present within Ohio-based federal entities. The OFRN’s networking and collaboration service identifies science and technology capabilities across academia, industry, and the government and builds strategic partnerships between each group to support federal missions. To achieve this objective, the OFRN has identified a key suite of networking and collaboration services that are available to our network partners: 

Federal agency and congressional engagement strategies 

Planning and execution of industry outreach events, communication, and PR for OFRN and its funded research projects 

Team matchmaking to help those that need to find a required partner for a solicitation submission 

Ohio industry, academia, and government collaboration on Advanced Air Mobility research and transition 

Yes, you are still eligible for assistance from the Ohio Federal Research Network if you’ve worked with us in the past and/or have won an OFRN-funding round.  
The SEE program is the Student Experiential Engagement (SEE) program, which entails recruiting and hiring student interns to work and learn throughout an OFRN-funded R&D project. Learn more about the OFRN SEE program on our services page, here. 
Aside from our OFRN-funding opportunities, the OFRN also assists small businesses and startups with commercialization/technology transfer & transition, workforce development, networking, collaboration and team matchmaking, and education and training as well as state and federal proposal navigation and support. Please visit us on the services page to learn more.  
Contact our team at ofrn@parallaxresearch.org for an introduction to members of our network. 
The OFRN Opportunity Day events are organized by Parallax Advanced Research in collaboration with The Ohio State University and the Ohio Department of Higher Education. OFRN Opportunity Days are geared toward government, academic, and industry innovators and researchers in Ohio as well as anyone interested in collaborating on innovative ideas to solve government challenges. The OFRN Opportunity Day features networking, an OFRN program overview by Parallax Advanced Research leadership, presentations from government thought leaders (speakers and topics change per event), and a discussion with Q&A on state and federal R&D funding opportunities. 
If you are an academic or industry innovator with promising ideas or intellectual property you'd like to commercialize, are interested in collaborating with our network on research projects or need assistance and/or academic or industry partners in pursuit of federal funding opportunities, then you should consider working with OFRN. 

The OFRN offers Education, Training & Proposal Navigation for SBIR & STTR proposal teams.  

The OFRN education and training service offers in-person mentoring, training programs, and educational content that is focused on increasing academic and industry engagement and partnerships with federal and state agencies for science and technology research and development. The curriculum covers: 

(1) How to apply for a current OFRN solicitation round SBIR/STTR Proposal Process Navigation 

(2) Workforce development for meeting federal and state priorities reflected in a current solicitation 

Each OFRN-funded R&D project is aligned with federal requirements, has a clear path to job creation, and capitalizes on Ohio’s investment involving multiple Ohio research universities and firms that provide cost-share to further leverage the Ohio investment and attract other Department of Defense and industry funding in Ohio. Therefore, each OFRN-funded R&D project inherently contributes to workforce development and has resulted in spinouts, the creation of high-quality jobs in Ohio, and commercialized technologies. 

The achieve these workforce development objectives, the OFRN offers the following services: 

1) Funding for R&D projects that lead to high-quality job creation and spinouts 

2) Student Experiential Engagement (SEE) program, which recruits and hires student interns to work and learn throughout an OFRN-funded R&D project