If you have an idea for improving health care in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), data science, cognitive computation or machine learning that has the potential to turn into a commercial project, the organizers of the Partners HealthCare Innovation Discovery Grants Program (IDG) want to hear from you.

Now in its third year, the IDG awards provide funding for proof-of-concept and validation studies for ideas that have the potential for commercialization. Ten projects will be funded in 2018 for up to $50,000 each, inclusive of 15 percent for indirect costs.

Pre-proposals are due on Sept. 25 and will be evaluated on a variety of factors, including the potential health care impact, the probability of meeting milestones during the award period, the likelihood that success would lead to further development (either through a spinoff company or industry partnership) and the potential for attracting further investment. All staff are invited to apply.

AI is a relatively new term in the field of biomedical research, and the IDG team is ready to answer applicants’ questions, said Lesley Watts, director of Administration and Finance at the Boston Biomedical Innovation Center (B-BIC). The good news is that the field is fairly broad.

If you’re not sure if your idea is the right fit – or if it is far enough along to seek grant funding – it is still a good idea to reach out, she said.

Watts, who is part of the Partners Innovation team, has compiled a list of contacts that applicants can access to discuss their ideas and identify possible next steps.

“We included all the resources that investigators could turn to and say, ‘I know there is a good idea in here – I just don’t know what to do with it or how to make it into a reality,’” she said.

Watts noted the IDG Program has rated very highly with the investigators who have participated in it over the past two years. During two earlier rounds of the IDG Program, $2 million was awarded to 30 promising projects. For more information, click here.