NASA just released their 2009 SBIR and STTR Solicitation.
Topics range from sensor or detector development to aviation safety. Awards in the amount of $100,000 may be requested for a Phase I SBIR or STTR and up to $600,000 for a Phase II SBIR or STTR. If you are applying for an STTR the Principle Investigator may employed by either the collaborating Research Institute or the applicant Small Business Concern.
Proposals are due on September 3rd, 2009 at 5:00 PM EDT. All applications must be submitted electronically.
If you would like assistance with your proposal contact SBIR GA!
The August 5th NIH SBIR/STTR deadline is rapidly approaching. All applications are submitted electronically through
www.grants.gov. If you intend to submit an application for this receipt date you need to have begun the online registration process. This is mandatory and the NIH will not make any exceptions. What needs to be accomplished?
- Register with grants.gov which requires
- TaxID
- DUNS Number
- CCR Registration
- Bank routing number ... and other numbers and IDs.
- Register with the NIH eRA Commons
- This process is much simpler and detailed instructions have been provided by the NIH.
Registration can take up to four weeks and the NIH requires you to begin your NIH eRA Commons registration at least 2 weeks prior to the submission deadline.
Administrivia is never fun, but sometimes there is no way around it.
As reported by the
Wall Street Journal this afternoon the House Committee on Small Business unanimously passed
a bill that would reauthorize the SBIR/STTR program until 2011. The bill is controversial as it allows venture backed companies to once again participate in the program. The eligibility rules are written to allow firms owned and operated by venture operated companies to receive awards as long as the venture operated company does not employ more than 500 people or own more than 50% of the applicant organization.
Last week the Senate Committee for Small Business and Entrepreneurship also unanimously passed
a bill reauthorizing the program until 2020 and allowing venture backed companies greater access to the SBIR/STTR program but to a lesser extent. Importantly it limits the total amount of SBIR funds awarded to majority owned venture operated firms to 8%. The NIH is the exception to this rule and allowed to use 18% of SBIR funds on awards to venture operated firms. Both the Senate and House bills increase the award amount for Phase I and Phase II.
If both bills are passed by the House and Senate they will be sent to a conference committee and hopefully common ground will be found.
Waiting for notice of an award can be like watching paint dry. When the funds are critical to your business it is even more painful. We unfortunately have no additional information on the DOE 2009 SBIR Phase II Awards. If you have been notified please let the community know by commenting on this post.
You are preparing your SBIR/STTR proposal and have determined you will be partnering with another company or a research institute to complete some of the research. [NOTE: If you are preparing an STTR, you are required to subcontract with a non-profit research institute for 30-60% of the technical work. If you are preparing an SBIR, you can subcontract up to 33% of your work to another company, individual, or research institute (but not required).] Before you put a subcontractor in your proposal, ask yourself a few questions:
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What will be their level of involvement?
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What exactly will they bring to the table that you can’t do in house?
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Do they have the technical expertise to do the work you need done?
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In theory they might be perfect for the job, but do they have the time to complete the work you need done?
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If the work is to be done at their location, do they have the appropriate space, equipment, staff, etc. to carry out the work?
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What's their track record for other projects?
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Do they complete projects on time and on budget?
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Have you checked their references?
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Do you have an agreement (in writing) verifying their willingness to participate in the research study, along with a task list and their rate?
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Who will own the Intellectual Property?
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How will they track their time/measure their effort?
When you submit a proposal with a subcontract, the reviewing agency will evaluate all aspects of your proposal, including the capabilities and track record of your subcontractors. Don’t just pick a company out of the air; pick the BEST contractor: carefully evaluate them and what you need them to do.
Congress is working hard on legislation to reauthorize the SBIR and STTR programs. However, with the program now set to expire on July 31,
2009, it seems that we are right where we were a year ago. The House Small Business Committee is working on several bills, all addressing a different aspect of the program and one that greatly expands Venture Capital (VC) access to the program. The Senate has started work on a bill that would update the program and increase VC eligibility but to a limited extent.
So the question is will the House pass a bill that expands VC access to the SBIR program and to what extent? The Biotechnology Industry Organization is still lobbying for such an expansion. And how will the House and Senate compromise? If they cannot agree on a compromise will another continuing resolution be instated? One opinion on the current process is posted at
SBIR Gateway
In a
press release issued last Tuesday the NIH reported a record number of grants submitted on April 27th in response to the Challenge Grant RFA. Each of the 20,000 applications will be reviewed by 3 scientific reviewers and a summary statement compiled. This process will require more than 18,000 scientists to complete. To put it into perspective the NIH reviews approximately 16,000 applications in each of 3 rounds annually. Each round requires 8,000 reviewers.
The NIH estimates it will review approximately 40,000 applications in direct response to either the Challenge Grant or other ARRA associated funding. This process is going to require more than 28,000 reviewers.
The outcome? Approximately 200 Challenge Grants will be selected and $200 Million awarded.
If you are patiently waiting for your summary statement they are estimated to be available in August. Check your eRA Commons account.
The United States Department of Agriculture has released its 2009 SBIR Solicitation. Proposals will be due September 3rd. Phase I Awards are up to $80,000. Technologies related to agriculture manufacturing as well as alternative/renewable energy technologies are encouraged. All topic areas:
- Forests and Related Resources
- Plant Production and Protection - Biology
- Animal Production and Protection
- Air, Water and Soils
- Food Science and Nutrition
- Rural Development
- Aquaculture
- Biofuels and Biobased Products
- Marketing and Trade
- Animal Manure Management
- Small and Mid-Size Farms
- Plant Production and Protection - Engineering
See the solicitation for full details on these topics as well as the topic managers for each--companies are encouraged to contact the topic managers early to discuss the suitability of their proposed technology to see if it fits within the scope of the USDA.
Proposals will be submitted electronically through Grants.gov (NOTE: If you have never submitted proposals, the registration process can take a few weeks, so start early!)
The House Small Business Subcommittee met yesterday to discuss proposals to reauthorize the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Programs. Watch (via YouTube) as Representatives meet to discuss "Legislative Initiatives to Strengthen and Modernize the SBIR and STTR Programs". Chairman Glenn Nye (D-VA) and Ranking Member Aaron Schock (R-IL) provided opening statements followed by a list of witnesses:
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Mr. Mark B. Leahey, President & CEO, Medical Device Manufacturers Association
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Mr. Jack Biddle, Founding Partner of Novak Biddle Venture Partners (on behalf of the National Venture Capital Association)
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Mr. Joe Hernandez, President & CEO, Innovative Biosensors Inc (on behalf of the Biotechnology Industry Organization)
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Ms. Marion C. Blakey, President & CEO, Aerospace Industries Association
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Mr. Brett Loper, SVP & Director Government Affairs, AdvaMed
The Senate Subcommittee on Small Business & Entrepreneurshipalso met yesterday to discuss the SBIR Program. Representatives from DOD, SBA, NSF, NIH, the SBDC, and business owners. Read Senator Mary Landrieu's statement.
Two new solicitations from the NIH were released yesterday that will be of interest to the bioscience small business community. While only one uses the SBIR R43 funding mechanism the other is open to for-profit entities and those with fewer than 500 employees will be given preference. A few pertinent details on each are described below. I encourage all applicable small businesses to apply.
You will never know if you don't try
Both have a submission date of:
September 1, 2009, 5PM local time
Letters of Intent are not required but encouraged and due on:
August 3, 2008
Discuss your application with an NIH Program Manager prior to composing your proposal.
The purpose of this funding opportunity is to bridge the "valley of death" that occurs between research and development and market launch. This is similar to the NCI's SBIR Bridge Award. Preliminary pre-clinical work is encouraged. If you need to complete activities for regulatory filings such as an IND application these funds are for you.
A Budget of up to $1M in total costs for up to 3 years may be proposed. $35M has been committed to this funding opportunity and the NIH anticipates awarding 10 grants in FY2010.
This funding opportunity uses the SBIR R43 mechanism which means it is only open to small businesses. HIgh-risk, high-return opportunities are encouraged to apply. If you are curious whether your project meets those specifications contact one of the program managers listed in the solicitation (linked above).
A Budget of up to $200K in total costs for up to 1 year may be requested. $5M has been committed to this funding opportunity and 20 to 25 awards are anticipated.
If you are a Georgia company and would like assistance with your proposal please contact us.
